A Fine Line
by damn unique
Summary: Takane no Hana Third Arc...What if you tell a person you don't love her? What if you fail to make it right? What if the words were the reason that they ended their life? What if these words have been a lie... Discover a new kind of Carnival.ShizNatNao
1. What if

_**"The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are."**_

**A/N:** Okay, this is my new story. It was supposed to be a complete new story but I had kind of an epiphany and found a way to combine it with my previous. So, for those who have read Takane no Hana and Takane no Hana Aftermaths they can enjoy this one as a sort of sequel and to all those who haven't read my other story, this one is able to stand on its own without having any background-knowledge (although you can always go and read the other stories ;-) ) As I already worked out the story-line, I can at least say that this is going to be huge.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mai HiME. *points at Sunrise***

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: What if<strong>

- What if you tell a person you don't love them? What if you fail to make it right? What if you don't get a second chance? What if it is final? What if your words were the cause that they ended their life? What if these words have been a lie...? -

_It's not your fault they say. It'll get better they say... All of you are just a bunch of liars I say. I am not crazy... That's what I tell myself all the time while shaking back and forth in the sterile white cell. They won't let me follow you. They won't let me get to you... I'm sure they wanna make me pay for all my sins. They keep me here so that I have to suffer the pain of reality and I shall endure that. This is my punishment. I will take that for you... I'd take anything for you... but it won't bring you back to life, right? _

"RIGHT? SHIZURUUUU!" The screams were engulfed by the soft walls surrounding the green-eyed girl.

"She's got an attack again. Tranquilize her! Now!" A male voice called.

_They're coming... they're coming for me again... with their needles... to get me, Shizuru... to make me forget you... But I won't let them... I won't ever forget about you!_

The shaking body soon gave in to the power of the drugs. Two brawny carers grabbed the unconscious girl harshly and hauled her into another room, where she was fixated on a bed. The room was small, consisting of only two windows and a bed. One window was framing the blue sky with a high standing sun and the other one was a one-way glass, showing nothing but the mirror-image of the almost empty room itself.

As soon as the girl awoke, she cried for the carer to shut the blinds.

"She still doesn't want to see the outside world." The blonde doctor said to the visitor on her right, while observing the situation in the room through the other side of the mirror-glass.

"I see. So, she isn't doing any better at all." The girl said in a disappointed voice. The doctor eyed the young girl, who didn't even look like a teenager anymore. It made her sad to see how the worries and sorrow had slowly eaten the girl's youth away. She was only eighteen but already gave away an aura of maturity and seriousness she shouldn't have at that age. The doctor knew the girl for two years now watching her change without being able to help her. The girl didn't seem to care that she was being watched while she stared through the glass at the apathetic raven-haired girl.

"I see. I'll come back tomorrow then. Goodbye, Dr. Tenshii." She eventually said in a monotone voice.

"Nao-san?"

"Yes?" came the obviously surprised response.

"Why don't you put your mind to rest for a while? You don't have to come here every day after work. It's not that you can do anything to help her. Go out, have fun, enjoy your life. At least for once."

The eyes of the green-eyed girl became watery but she wouldn't allow herself to cry.

"That might be the right thing to do... But not for me... My place is here. I cannot be without her." She turned around, leaving the Doctor speechless.

The hospital became silent as most patients were going to sleep after they had taken their evening medication.

_Light… Darkness… Light… Darkness… round and round it goes… One, two, one, two… I have stopped counting days long ago anyway… Why do they have to put me in room with a window… I wanna go back to my home… I like the white room with the soft walls… The straps are laced much too tight. I can't feel my fingers anymore. I like the jacket better. But then, I don't really give a shit... It's much too bright in here even with the blinds closed. It must be full-moon... _

When the pinioned girl drifted off into a dream-like state, the images crawled into her subconscious mind again. All the memories she had buried deep inside her soul came forth and started to torture her mercilessly. The tears, the pain, the guilt, all the unwanted feelings started to form a nightmarish scenario in front of her inner eye that made her scream without making a single noise. She was struggling so hard that the straps were cutting into the flesh of her arms. Nearly suffocating under the force of her thoughts, she suddenly noticed a silhouette in her field of vision. She didn't know if she was awake or still captured in her nightmare. It didn't matter to her anyway, reality was just as bad and so she didn't care about sleep anymore. Only when the silhouette started talking to her, she became suspicious.

"Long time no see, Natsuki-chan." came the childlike greeting.

She didn't recognize the voice at first. Only when the figure started to move into the moonlit area, Natsuki noticed the silver hair and was now sure that she wasn't awake. Although the pain on her wrists seemed to prove her wrong on that matter, she didn't really believe in what she saw. Light red eyes were looking at her with mischief. Trying to give her words a voice, she opened her dry mouth, but not sound came out.

"You seem quite exhausted." The boy went on. "I've been watching you for a while now. The last few years have changed you a lot but at some point you just stopped existing it seems."

"Nagi..." She mumbled in disbelief.

"I'm so glad Natsuki-chan remembers me." He made a pause to flash an evil grin.

"What do you want?" She said.

"Good thing that you ask. I am here because I have an offer for you."

"Offer?" By now, Natsuki was sure that the drugs had melted her brain completely. The boy kneeled down next to her bed and laid his crossed arms on the edge it to support his chin.

"Ne, Nat-chan. It's been quite a while since the star disappeared. Many things have happened since then. Not all of them good, if I remember correctly." He made a pause and watched the reaction of the fixated girl. Natsuki clenched her fists and shut her eyes in pain, a single tear rolling down her face. "Now now, who would cry over such trivial things?"

"How dare you say..." she screamed.

"Something can be done, you know..." His eyes shone maliciously in the darkness before he went on. "What if it was possible to undo all of it?"

Natsuki just stared at him, unable to say a word. But Nagi figured that he at least made the confused girl curious and waited for her to respond, which she eventually did.

"Undo what?"

He grinned evilly.

"Everything. Your involuntary commitment... The death of your mother... The disappearing of your Child and your Elements... The Carnival... and even Shizuru-san's death..."

"Don't tell me... you can turn back time..."

He laughed.

"No, that I cannot do. But I can create a kind of rearrangement."

"So, the Carnival will start all over again..."

"I guess you can say that... But it's not the Carnival you already lived through. You destroyed the star and broke the cycle. The world I restore will have different rules."

"And why do you tell me out of all people about this? As you can see I am officially nuts."

"Because you choose too. You're sane enough to do what feels right. I need an agreement with at least one of the former princesses otherwise it won't work." Nagi saw that Natsuki became suspicious and tried to laugh the seriousness away. "I always liked your dance and I figured that you might like the idea of starting again after all that happened. Your life has been rather unpleasant and everyone deserves a bit of luck, don't you think?" He shrugged nonchalntly.

The former Ice-HiME wasn't sure what to think of it. She didn't care about anything. Her life was screwed. She could just stay here forever and eventually die. But the idea of living a different life slowly began to sink in.

"What if I take the offer? What will happen to this world? How can I be sure the other world is going to be better?"

"Do you really believe it can be any worse than this one? Just think about it. I won't force an answer from you tonight. I'll give you until tomorrow. But you need to know at least one more thing..." He turned around to face the dim moonlight that was soaking through the blinds. "You'll have to pay the price eventually, Natsuki-chan."

"What does that mean?" she said, her voice full of doubt.

"I can't tell you any more than I already have. It's up to you whether to take my offer or not."

"Something like this can't be real..."

"What if it is true?" He turned around to smile at her once more. "Think about it. I'll come to you tomorrow night to get your answer." The boy said with a voice full of mischief and then as fast as he appeared, he was gone and Nsatsuki was left alone with her thoughts again.

_What if... _

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><p><strong>AN:** And that's it for the first Chapter. I'll try to create a complete new story for the carnival, with different rules and background-stories for the characters and of course in my Mai HiME Universe, Natsuki will be the lead. I hope you liked it so far. Interesting things are going to happen...Reviews are welcomed.


	2. Date

_**"Can you leave it all behind? Cause you can't go back.**__**"**_

**Disclaimer:****I really should get rid of Sunrise already but for now they still own the Characters of Mai HiME.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Date<strong>

"Ne Nao-chan, are you listening?" A girl with short brown hair asked her spaced out classmate, who was sitting opposite to her at the table in the school cafeteria.

"Huh?" came the startled response.

"I asked if you wanted to join us for shopping after school."

"Of course she won't. She's busy... as always. Right?" Another girl tossed in, now also eying the pink-haired one.

"Mh, yes. I've got to go to work." She said in a distant and calm tone.

"See. I told you. That's what she says all the time. It's like a broken record."

"Now, you're being mean, Kimiko. You know she has to do this to pay the tuition-fees." The brown-haired girl did her best to make it sound less pitiful but it was hard, looking at the pensive girl in front of her. "What about this evening then? You can catch up with us after work and we could go to the movies together?"

"I'm sorry, but I already have plans." Nao replied.

"Uh, does it mean you have a date?"

Unable to stand the curiosity and the forced conversation any longer, she responded: "I guess you can call it that." A bitter smile crossed her lips before she stood up and walked away.

On her way back to the school building, she watched a yelling Shiho in the familiar white uniform from afar, who tried to stop Mikoto from running through the school halls with her huge Kendo-sword. _The student-council sure had seen better days... _She thought to herself before going back to her last classes for the day. Although she wasn't interested in any of the stuff they taught at school, she had become a rather decent student. Thanks to her constant insomnia, she was able to learn during the nights., which let to writing good grades without paying any attention in class.

When the school bell rang, she grabbed her things and left the school, alone... like every day. She walked into the direction of the woods where she had parked her motorcycle. Well, it wasn't really hers, but it's not that the owner had needed it in the last few years and she just didn't want it to rust away in the garage. Therefore, last year Nao figured that it would be a good thing to save up some money for a license. It was really helpful though because she had quite some things to do every day.

When she had finished work, she usually made a short stop at the cliffs to watch the last rays of the sun sink into the endless blue of the ocean, before she would drive to the hospital. The image always hurt just as much as it soothed her. But today she didn't have the time to watch the sunset. Since she had plans for tonight, she needed to head home first.

She hurried into the apartment not bothering to turn on the lights in the room. _No need to see the mess right now. Natsuki would probably freak out if she saw the chaos I left in our... I mean her apartment. _She went straight into the bathroom and turned on the shower before undressing. The hot water had a soothing effect on her and she deeply inhaled the scent of the shower gel as she showered.

Tightly wrapped in a towel, she walked towards the wardrobe and picked up her favorite pair of jeans and a white-shirt with a silhouette of a guitar. After applying a bit of make-up and styling her hair, she grabbed her grey leather-jacket and helmet and headed for the door. Just before she was about to leave, she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, realizing that she had almost forgotten something important. She hurried back into the living room where a strange looking bouquet of flowers was sitting in a glass-vase on the table. Grabbing the flowers, she turned around again and finally made her way out.

After arriving at the hospital, the nurse from the nightshift greeted the familiar guest with a smile and a nod and went back to her paperwork. Nao was thankful that Dr. Tenshii gave her special permission to let her visit Natsuki in the evening otherwise, she wouldn't be able to make it to hospital at all because her job kept her occupied the whole afternoon.

When she reached the door of the small room, she took a quick look through the little window with the mirror-glass and found that the light was on. When she saw that the older girl was still fixated on the table, her heart became heavy and she almost crushed the little flower bouquet by unconsciously tightening her grip. _That wouldn't be the best idea after all the trouble I went through to bring it with me on the motorcycle without ruining it, right? I hope she likes the flowers... It's a date after all, isn't it...? _

When she entered the room, the figure on the bed didn't make a move. Nao assumed that she must have already had her evening medication. The sleeping pills normally kicked in quickly and so she went over to the little nightstand and fetched the vase that was placed on it. She filled it up with water and carefully put the flowers in it before opening the blinds to let in the soft moonlight.

"Happy anniversary, Natsuki..." She said in low voice, while looking at the moon." I brought you flowers... Blow balls to be exact... They are blooming right now, you know... I hope you like them. I got up early today to pick them before school." She turned around but the raven-haired girl had her eyes closed and was steadily breathing in and out. She kneeled down in front of the bed and watched the other girl sleep. "Still so beautiful." She muttered, almost inaudibly to herself. Not able to endure the lingering silence, she started to talk. "It was a real pain to bring them here though." She tried to sound cheerful. "But I thought... I thought it's a date after all..." Her eyes became sad. "Do you still remember?" Silence. "Two years ago, we also were here in this institution together. But you were visiting me at that time... It was the day of our first real kiss... and probably the best day of my entire life..." She whispered while tears forced their way into her eyes. She drew in close to the sleeping beauty and kissed her dry lips before sinking back onto her knees again. Unable to hold back the tears any longer, she closed her eyes and released them almost soundlessly. "Oh how I wish we could go back to that day and make it alright..." She rubbed her cheek against Natsuki's arm, leaving some of her tears on the pale skin.

After an hour of enjoying the simple presence of the raven-haired girl, Nao stood up.

"I have to go now. We're having a history exam tomorrow and you know Midori. Her tests can be such a bother." She smiled sadly. "Goodnight. I'll be here tomorrow at the same time..." She turned off the lights before closing the door.

As soon as the footsteps in the hallway became silent, the supposedly sleeping girl opened her eyes. The color of them clearly showed that she hadn't been sleeping at all. Her gaze was a mixture of pain and emptiness and although she felt like crying, her eyes didn't give away any tears. Angry about the inability to free some of her emotions, she angrily whispered the name of the person from the strange encounter from last night.

"Good evening, Nat-chan." The young boy instantly appeared out of nowhere. Natsuki was giving him an enraged look. "You look angry. Did something happen?"

No answer.

"I thought you would enjoy your little party with Nao... The sight was rather heart-wrenching." He grinned.

"Shut up!" She said outraged.

"So, my dear Ice-Princess, have you decided?"

She turned away, facing the full-moon, still feeling the wetness from Nao's tears on her arm. The words and cries from her were still echoing through her mind, along with all the memories of Shizuru... Confronting her consciousness with all the emotions, she was barely able to stand her own thoughts. She clenched her fist, trying to control the rising panic. Nagi slowly came closer and spoke again.

"It's alright now. You just have to answer my question and all the bad things will disappear within a blink of an eye." He said alluringly.

Natsuki's head seemed to spin around and before she knew it herself, she opened her mouth.

"DO IT!" It didn't even sound like her own voice but the words were spoken nonetheless.

"As my princess wishes." His eyes were flashing dangerously.

The light of the moon started to get brighter as if it was about to explode. Natsuki closed her eyes to avoid going blind. When she opened them again a little purple dot was shining next to the moon and suddenly the room seemed to start moving.

"See you in next life, my HiME." He said before disappearing in the chaos in front of her eyes. The little silver tufted fruits of the blow balls were swirling through the spinning room, glistening and dancing in the moonlight. Not able to stand the jumble anymore she started screaming and then, everything went pitch-black. All the sounds disappeared and her mind drifted off into the darkness.

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><p><strong>AN:** It's sad that the names Shizuru and Natsuki attract so much more readers than Nao and Natsuki... It really breaks my heart and sometimes some comments that want nothing but Shiznat make me want to do more NatNao BUT for this story the ShizNat is needed and I am thankful for every reader that enjoys my story. I am still hopping to reach the NatNao fanbase just as much cause there will also be Nao (just because she's awesome). Thanks for the reviews I am looking forward to your opinions on the second Chapter. In the the next Chapter the main-story will kick in.


	3. Smile

"_**A memory is what is left when something happens and does not completely unhappen."**_

**Disclaimer:****Mai HiME owns Sunrise. Oh wait that would be odd. The other way around of course.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Smile<strong>

_Smile. People presume that something like this comes naturally. That everyone has to smile once in a while. It's a given. 'I wish I could see your smile again' or 'to make someone smile again.' It's always 'again'. But I can't remember such a thing. I don't know if I have ever smiled at all. I'm not even sure if I am able to. For me, it's not a given. For me nothing is a given. There's nothing you can rely on except the deceitfulness of humans. Emotions only make you weak. I've learned that long ago and I was able to fight my way through life without relying on anyone and now those stupid counselors put me in a private school. I did a good job on learning useful things for myself and now I can't do anything about this damn law. I will never be one of those stupid little teenagers who only talk about boys and clothes. I will make them hate me... or even better, ignore me. I will sit out these senseless two years and then I am finally free! _

"You must be the new student. I'm your roommate Tokiha Mai. It's a pleasure to meet you! What's your name?" The red-haired girl said much too loud and noisy to an edgy looking girl in the hallway. Her mood was getting even worse as she eyed the smiling and enthusiastic girl, who was waiting in the doorframe of her supposedly new 'home'. _Not that I would know what the word home actually means..._ She thought to herself. Completely ignoring the greeting, she went straight into the room by pushing the other girl out of the way. The action seemed to startle the red-head so much that she was at a complete loss of words. While Natsuki unpacked her things, she felt the piercing gaze of the still speechless girl, but she had no intention of having a chit-chat with the busty one now. When she took out some of her clothes, she turned her head towards the noisy one and gave her a death glare.

"I need to change. Leave!" Her voice was so deep that it sounded almost like a growl and Mai felt as if her blood was about to freeze in her veins in the next seconds.

She took a step backwards and shut the door with a sigh. Relieved about the fact that she survived the encounter with her new roommate, Mai started to walk towards the east-side of the dormitory. The light knocks on the door were instantly answered with a bounce. The door swung open and a cat-like shadow shot out if it.

"Maiiii!"

The force of the impact sent her down on her back. But before she could feel any pain she had to shield her breasts from the cuddle-attack of the little whirlwind.

"Ouch. Mikoto, you need to stop doing this."

"But I love Mai." The girl said in a childlike tone.

"I know. I know. But this could appear real odd in public." Mikoto just looked at her with puzzled eyes and Mai decided that the girl would never understand what she was actually referring too.

"Yuck! You're both really disgusting." came a sharp voice from behind them. Mai turned her head and saw a girl with the same uniform as Mikoto walk past them through the still open door.

"Hello Nao!" Mikoto said joyfully.

"Hey Nao." Mai echoed while standing up and readjusting her clothes.

"What are up to? Babysitting for a bit? I would really enjoy to get rid of the little basket case for a while." _Or even better, both of you..._

Mai hesitated a bit and so Nao made the assumption that she came to visit their room and had no intention of taking the little brat away. She simply sighed and waved the visitor in.

"Thank you. I would love to give you some privacy and take Mikoto to my room as always but right now it is... well, how to say it... occupied."

"Huh?" Nao raised a brow.

"What does 'occupied' mean, Mai?" Mikoto asked.

The red-head sighed.

"My new roommate has just arrived."

"Well, isn't that great? You better go and do some girlish small talk with her and cook her something delicious, so that the both of you can be best friends sooner or later." _Better sooner... then you would stop showing up here all the time. Such a bother for my job... _

Suddenly something was tugging on her skirt. She looked down and saw a very disturbed Mikoto.

"Mai's mine."

The voice in which Mikoto spoke and the words creeped Nao out a bit.m"Alright... As I said, you both are very disgusting." She repeated.

Confused about the sudden silence, both girls automatically looked at Mai, who was standing there with a troubled face, not making a sound at all.

"Mai, what is wrong?" Mikoto asked worriedly.

"I don't know. My new roommate seems to hate me."

"Well, you can't blame her, can you?" Nao burst out into laughter about her own joke but Mikoto instantly silenced her with a death glare.

"She practically threw me out of my room."

"Wow, she sure has some guts to do that on her first day. So, what's her name?" Nao asked, now full of curiosity.

"I don't know. She didn't say anything outside of 'I need to change. Leave!'." Mai tried to imitate the low voice and all of them started to giggle.

"Haha. So, she is some sort of bull dyke or what?" Nao said, still laughing.

"I don't think so. At least she doesn't look like one. She's been all serious and I was a bit irritated about the cold behavior. So I thought, I could stay here for tonight and maybe cook something for the both of you."

"Foooooood!" Mikoto screamed happily.

"I was hungry anyway. So, make yourself at home and cook something." Nao playfully winked at the red-head. "But you will go back to your room tomorrow and face the demon, right?"

"Yes..." Mai said slightly afraid.

_I hope you stick to your word, Mai. I can only afford to miss out on one night on my 'job' and even that is too much. It's already hard enough to sneak out of the room without waking the little brat, but four eyes and ears are way too dangerous._

Natsuki didn't bother to turn on the lights when it got dark. Her roommate was obviously not coming back tonight and she had no intention of leaving the room until she had to and that was not before tomorrow morning. _It's such a pain to get up early for something so bothersome like school. I wonder how I will cope with the sleep loss if I keep up my nightly program. I think at least for tonight, it is okay to miss out on a trip. I need to check out the surroundings by day first otherwise, it could be too dangerous. _

She lay down in bed and faced the little window on her right. The moon was shining bright next to the purple dot that she had been able to see ever since she was little. _Tomorrow I will have enough time to plan a proper route for the night. _

When the alarm-clock went off in the morning, Natsuki smashed it against the wall to silence the annoying beeping. After a few minutes she slowly realized her surroundings and let out a groan. _I already hate school! Why would you get up at such an hour? Crazy people!_ She went straight into the bathroom to shower before putting on a white sweater under the vest of her uniform to hide some scratches and bruises.

While she walked down the corridor in search of her class-room, she was annoyed by the countless students around her already. Trying to get away from the masses, she suddenly found herself under a huge glass dome. _Okay, this sure is impressive for a school... _

The bell rang and the halls became empty, leaving the girl alone to marvel the astonishing hall. After a while of simply enjoying the refraction of sunlight in the glass above her, she slowly started to take in the rest of her surroundings. There was a railing in the middle of the hall with colored ribbons tied on and a huge sign that she couldn't read from afar. She walked up to it and tried to decipher the ugly handwriting.

The headline read:

'Last day to vote for your new Student-Council President.' It was followed by a little text about the circumstances of the election in the middle of a semester. 'After Kanzaki Reito resigned from the position of the student-council president due to some family business, he announced to have an instant election to fill the gap. To all the students who are worried about the resignation, he also stated that he will remain in an advisory function as the vice president. He suggested two possible candidates for the important role as Kaichou of Fuuka Academy: Suzushiro Haruka and Fujino Shizuru. Please be sure to cast your vote in time. By reading the last name a sudden pain pierced Natsuki's brain. _Ouch… What was that…? Shit, it's getting later and later! It's my first day and I can't even find the classroom. Argh, I don't give a shit anyway!_

After another small eternity of looking for the right room, she finally made it. She took a deep breath and set on a gloomy face before knocking on the door and entering the room. Of course, all heads shot up into her direction. She had a hard time to remain calm. _I would love to punch all of you right in your puzzled faces... _

"You must be Kuga-san." An old man with grey hair said in an inscrutable tone. Natsuki assumed that this must be the teacher. She just looked at him without responding to the words. "Well, Kuga-san. First, you disturb my lesson with your late appearance and now you ignore my questions." He said.

"There wasn't even a question to begin with." She countered in a low and calm voice. The teacher was obviously startled about the backtalk but tried to walk the peaceful road first.

"I asked if you are Kuga Natsuki."

"No, you stated that my name is Kuga and since it was right, there was no need to respond." Natsuki shrugged and flipped a strand of her hair behind. Some of the students started to mumble when they heard the bold words of their new classmate. Even if Natsuki didn't mean to sound so unfriendly; her voice sounded like she was out for a fight and the teacher wasn't in the mood to allow such things on her first day. His voice became louder during his next words.

"Out of my class! Report to the principal's office to make sure you know the school rules! I will not allow such behavior here!"

Natsuki wordlessly turned around, keeping a straight face and only the bang of the door gave away that she must be pissed about her first encounter with the teaching-staff. _If this is school-life, then I'd rather enjoy staying outside of the classroom!_ She angrily walked along the hallway and was just about to turn the corner, when she suddenly felt a hard impact that made her completely lose her balance. The next thing she remembered was lying on her back feeling a sharp pain at the back of her head.

"Ouch!"

When she opened her eyes, she shrugged by noticing that somebody had run into her and was almost pinning her to the floor. The girl above her didn't make a move anymore and just simply stared at her in disbelief.

_These eyes... Don't tell me... This can't be... _

"Natsuki..." The girl with the light green-eyes whispered.

"Nao!" Natsuki said just as surprised.

"What are you doing here?" Still not moving, Nao let her eyes wander along the body beneath her and took in the sight of the familiar uniform. "Don't tell me..." She gulped. "You're the new student..."

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><p><strong>AN: **OMG and here's the new world. As you might have noticed, not everything has changed but some things will be completely different. I wonder why Nao and Natsuki already know each other...Oh well I know and you'll get the answer in the next chapter...and just like in the Anime, Shizuru has to wait for her appearance a bit longer^^


	4. Bastard

"_**Never forget the days I spent with you. Continue to be my friend, as you will always find me yours."**_

**Disclaimer: Sunrise owns Mai HiME.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4: Bastard<strong>

"Ne Natsuki-chan, I want you to meet someone." A friendly female voice was approaching a little black-haired girl from behind. Tightly holding on to a white-furred dog that seemed to be fairly huge compared to the size of the fragile body of the child, she pretended not to listen. "Now now, I know quite well that you heard me. This isn't a nice way to greet your new friend." By hearing the word 'friend' the little head with the two pigtails slowly started to turn around. Big green-eyes were now angrily piercing the adult, who was still smiling friendly.

"I don't have friends!" came the raged respond followed by a pouting face. The harsh words made the pink-haired girl, who was holding onto the hand of the woman, shrug and hide herself behind the long legs of the adult.

"I bet Duran isn't happy to hear such things coming from your mouth." The older woman said, still trying to bring Natsuki out of her shell and to her delight the dog started barking.

She instantly hugged him even tighter. "I mean, I don't have any human friends. You are my best one of course, Duran." She mumbled barely audible for anyone outside of the now calmed dog. She buried her head into the soft fur, trying to avoid the gazes from the adult.

The shy girl, who had been hiding, slowly started to come forth when she saw that the other girl had started cuddling with the dog. The woman was looking down on her and smiled warmly.

"What about going over and saying 'hello' to your new roommate Natsuki and her loyal friend Duran? He might seem huge but he's a very nice dog. He's been in this Orphanage for quite some time now. Almost as long as Natsuki. Those two are very close as you can see." She turned her head to look at the serious little girl and her big hairy friend.

The shy pink-haired girl started to slowly walk over. Natsuki observed the reaction of Duran very thoroughly, but the dog didn't mind the new guest. And so she relaxed a bit.

"He... Hello..." A stuttering high voice came out. "My name is Nao... Yuuki Nao." She held out her hand to properly introduce herself, just like her mother had told her before... before she had died.

Natsuki just looked at her warily. "Kuga Natsuki" She said, without taking the offered hand.

"Very good, now that you two seem to get along so well... Natsuki-chan, would you be so nice and show your new roommate around." And of course the little girl gave the woman a death-glare right away. But she knew she had to follow the rules of the adults, otherwise they would take Duran away from her.

"Fine." She said, not hiding the unpleasant tone in her voice. She looked at the pink-haired girl and made a gesture to follow her, which Nao obeyed wordlessly.

"My... our room." She pointed at a wooden door before hurrying on. "Kitchen." Her tone was harsh and her voice fairly low for a child at her age. "Garden" The single words where always followed by a silence that seemed endless. And Nao was relieved every time they entered a new room. "Lavatory." She followed the taciturn girl like a lost puppy, her gaze focused on the floor. She nearly stumbled into her back as a consequence when the Natsuki suddenly stopped. She still didn't dare to speak a word and just looked at her with puzzled eyes. The taller girl was also looking at the floor now and pointed with her finger in the direction of a big room at the right of the hallway. The loud voices and laughter of children gushed out of it while they were standing behind the wall, not able to look inside the room. "Rumpus Room" she whispered, still pointing into the direction of the round.

"Won't we go in there?" Nao asked insecurely.

"I won't. But you can go ahead and say 'hello' to the other children." Suddenly, Natsuki's voice sounded almost vulnerable.

Just when Nao was about to walk around the corner into the room, a group of children came out, stopping dead in their tracks when they spotted Natsuki.

"Look, who's here." One boy said mischievously.

"Oh, the princess herself came to play with us." Another one added.

All three boys started to laugh when the words princess fell. Nao wasn't sure what to think of the situation but looking at the black-haired girl, she thought it must be something bad. "Haha, princess... I think we should stick to the old name." Another one said, still laughing. "Yes, yes. Ba... "

"NOOO!" The green-eyed child screamed with clenched fists. Everyone fell silent and all eyes were now pointed at her. Not able to bear the gazes any longer, she started to shake before turning around and running away. Nao was looking after her completely confused about the situation.

"Hey Pinky, are you new?" One boy asked and Nao turned her head and shot daggers with her eyes.

"Ugh, look. You pissed her off. She's just like Ms. Neverlaugh." The other one joked.

Nao couldn't stand those idiots any longer and followed Natsuki's example. When she stood in front of the room that was supposed to be her new home, she could hear light sobs coming from inside. She wasn't sure if she should knock or just enter the room. But when she was about to grab the door handle, she was stopped by a deep growling. The sobbing stopped right away. Figuring that it must be Duran, she entered nonetheless. The black-haired girl was lying on a bed at the right side of the room, facing the wall. Duran stopped growling when he spotted the light green eyes of Nao. Natsuki had cradled herself between the big white dog and the sheets and didn't say a word. Nao looked around and spotted the other bed on the opposite wall. Somebody had already placed her bag on it. She silently walked over and started to unpack her things. After she finished, the woman from before entered and told them that dinner was ready but Natsuki declined and so Nao also said that she wasn't hungry, which was obviously a lie. But she didn't dare to meet the other children alone. And just when it was time to go to bed, her tummy was growling so loud that even Duran gave her a surprised look. Natsuki still hadn't spoken a word since the encounter in the afternoon and so Nao finally tried to speak to her.

"Ne, Nat-chan... are you okay?"

"Don't call me that!" Natsuki snapped.

"Sorry..." And with that, the conversation was over.

In the middle of the night, Natsuki was woken up by a strange sound. When she was finally fully awake, she figured that her new roommate must be crying. She freed herself from the sleeping form of Duran and turned around.

"Oi, newbie. What's wrong?" she whispered.

The other girl felt caught and tried to repress the sobs, not very successful though. After a while she answered.

"I'm hungry... " Nao whispered back.

"Then why didn't you go downstairs for dinner." There was a long pause.

"Because... because I was afraid."

"Of what?"

"Facing all of them without you." The moonlight revealed that her cheeks became slightly red.

"Huh? Believe me you would have been better off without me." Natsuki said in surprise.

"No..." she bluntly said.

Natsuki didn't know what to respond and silence engulfed them again. Only the growling of the younger girl's stomach made them comfortable once more. Natsuki now slowly crawled out of her bed and walked over to the starving little creature.

"Come on." She said, standing in front of Nao's bed with arms akimbo and a determined look on her face. Nao rose to her feet and followed Natsuki to the door.

When Natsuki opened it, she peaked outside to check if the hall was clear. She winked at Duran to lead the way, which he immediately did. Nao was about to open her mouth to ask what they were doing, but Natsuki turned around and silenced her.

"Hush! Just follow me." She said, serious as ever. Nao was afraid of the dark and silent building and grabbed Natsuki's hand in a reflex. The girl shot around with the intention of screaming but when she saw the fearful expression on Nao's face, she didn't say anything at all and just dragged her along.

They tiptoed through the hallway, down the stairs into the kitchen. Duran acted like a guardian and sniffed around the corner with sharp ears to make sure there was no danger. Natsuki tried to reach the cupboard with the groceries but soon discovered that she was much too short. She looked around and found a chair. She bravely climbed on it and started to gather some cereals and milk. When she turned around to present her prey, she suddenly lost her balance and was about to fall down. But Nao reacted very fast and supported her weight. They were slightly shocked, even Duran whimpered a bit.

"Thank you." Natsuki mumbled before climbing down.

They sat on the big kitchen table and Nao was happily swinging her feet back and forth while munching.

"Thank you very much, Nat-chan. You saved my life."

Natsuki's head shot around to scold the younger one for using this name again but when she saw the bright smile on the other girl's face, she just nodded.

"Why were you running away earlier?" Nao asked curiously. But Natsuki just gave her an exasperated look and so the younger one went on. "I mean, they were obviously idiots but I bet you could take them on."

"I did before. But nothing good came out of it. They told the adults that I attacked them without a reason and I got scolded."

"Such cowards." Nao whispered. "Why are they picking on you anyway?"

"They make fun of me because they don't like my face. They say it's serious. And ever since they heard that I am in this Orphanage since I was a baby, they would call me a bastard because I don't know my parents."

When Nao looked into the solemn green eyes, she instantly knew that she would do her best to be a good friend for the serious and lonesome girl. She wanted to know more about the emptiness in her gaze, but she felt that right now wasn't the time to ask. And so they went back to bed after she had finished her meal. She knew she had plenty of time to get close to her new roommate. With a smile on her face and a full stomach she was able to fall asleep soon.

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><p><strong>AN: **Flashback-timeOh my God, Chibi-Natsuki and Chibi-Nao. Soooooo cute. Tell me how you like the story so far. Reviews are greatly welcomed. Next Chapter: Shizuru...


	5. Balloons

_**"We think caged birds sing, when indeed they cry."**_

**A/N:** I originally wrote this chapter for a contest of mai universe but it was intented to be part of this new story anyways. I hope you enjoy the Shizuru-Chapter.

**Disclaimer:** Mai HiME is property of Sunrise.

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Balloons<strong>

"Don't you enjoy any of this, Sweetie?" a middle-aged woman asked knowing that she might not get the answer she wished for as she gestured towards the surroundings. Without responding, the young girl next to her was staring at the table in front of them, hiding her eyes under her bangs.

The longer the woman looked at her daughter the more she had to admit that she wasn't a little girl anymore. Although she was still young, the child had that elegant and perfect atmosphere surrounding her in every moment. Still not getting a reaction the woman reached out and touched the hand of her daughter. The action seemed to startle the girl and her head shot up to look at the initiator of the sudden contact. A pair of crimson eyes locked with hers. For a second she was terrified by the hate and desperation they spit. She wanted to pull the girl close and embrace her to tell her that everything will be alright, but before she could think any further a serious and loud male voice interrupted the scenery.

"Your mother asked you a question, Shizuru! It's very impolite to ignore her! I won't accept such selfish behavior in my house!"

Desperation turned from fear to resignation in the deep red eyes.

"Don't give me that look, young lady! You have to pay attention to the people around you. There are some of the most influencing and richest families of Kyoto or maybe even Japan here today, only to celebrate your election as the new student-council president of Fuuka Academy. Do you have the slightest idea what this party costs us? All of this we did just for you and what do we get?" The man continued.

"Don't be so hard on her, Darling. I'm sure she's just tired." The woman tried to do some damage control.

"No, she is not. She is spoilt! That's what she is! You should stop protecting her. She should know by now how to speak up for herself." He spat.

Shizuru knew it was her time to step in or else this would end in another cold war.

"I'm sorry for my late response, mother. I love the party. Thank you father, for making all of this happen. I am very grateful to both of you for giving me the possibility of living such a fortunate life." The fear and resignation was gone. They were replaced by a perfect and contemplative smile. Not too bright and not too weak just as her father liked it, and just like ever, he was pleased with her reaction.

"Very well. That's my little girl. Now go to your friends and wait for your maid. She prepared some games for you."

She bowed to her father as an approval while paying special attention not to look at her mother again.

"Yes. Excuse me please." and with that she was gone. Her mother was looking after her with worried eyes.

"Do you think she is happy?" She asked her still satisfied husband.

"It doesn't matter. She is a Fujino and as long as she fulfils her duties and responsibilities there is no need for such things."

"But she is still a child..." The woman said with a worried glance.

"No, she never was. She was and always will be my heir and that's it. This conversation ends here." He said and walked away.

"As you wish..." The woman was left behind mumbling to herself.

Shizuru's eyes were aimlessly wandering around. All of this was so faked. She couldn't hear the birds; only voices and more voices, she couldn't feel the wind because the manor was surrounded by massive walls and she couldn't see the colors in a world where everything was gray. The laughter of the other guests felt like ringing in her ears, the sound of the popping bottles like needles in her head.

'Go to your friends' he says... I don't know anybody here. These people are strangers to me, only talking about economy and money. They're nothing more than shells without souls... And I am one of them...

"Fujino-sama, over here." The voice of her maid Touku shook her out of her thoughts. She looked at the 23-year old woman, who was standing in the shadow of a huge oak-tree. Her dark brown hair was braided into a plait. Shizuru always thought that she looked much prettier with open hair. She only saw it once but she instantly thought that Touku should always wear that kind of hairstyle. Of course her father wouldn't allow it and if Shizuru had not hidden herself inside the closet to escape from one of her father's outbursts, she would have never seen such a beautiful sight. The thought of secretly watching Touku lifting and brushing her hair for braiding it up again made her heart beat faster... With a little smile on her lips, she slowly started to walk towards her.

"Your father told me to set up some games. I hope you will be pleased with them Miss."

"Touku, I told you that you don't have to be so formal around me. Shizuru is just fine." She said in a friendly voice.

"Yes, I know. Miss is such a kind person, but if your father were to find out that I would address you in such an improper manner he would fire me for sure."

"I understand Touku-san..."

The older woman sensed the disappointment in the voice of Shizuru and tried to cheer her up by gathering the other teenagers.

"Since we're all here to celebrate the election of Miss Fujino we should let her decide what to begin with." Touku turned around to give Shizuru a reassuring look and Shizuru knew that she could neither disappoint the other guest nor Touku.

The maid had prepared a board that had papers with words on it. Each word stood for a different mini-game. Shizuru started to pick randomly. She wasn't in the mood for any of it.

After two hours of playing and giving perfect smiles to everybody, she was almost at her limit. Sick and tired of this plastic-world attitude she was about to give in, but at the same time she had to play her role flawlessly. With time, only one paper was left on the board. Shizuru had avoided it until now because she had no idea for what game the word 'balloons' could stand.

"Finally! I was waiting for this one." Touku said in a happy tone. She continued with a big smile. "This one isn't really a game. It is more of a thing I used to do when I was younger. It's very simple. I've prepared some balloons and here I have some slips of papers and pencils. All you have to do is to write a thing you wish for on it before tying it up on the balloon. If everybody is finished we will cut the cords for letting them fly high up to the sky. Your wishes will go on a journey without knowing their destinations yet and if you believe in it they might come true… one day." She explained.

Everyone was busy writing things on the papers, some of them even on three or four. Only Shizuru was sitting there with a blank page in front of her. Touku slowly approached her with a worried gaze.

"Don't you have anything you wish for Miss?"

Shizuru was still focusing the blank paper.

"I don't know. I am very fortunate. I shouldn't wish for anything I guess." She said with a little sadness in her voice.

"Being well off doesn't mean being happy. I am sure you have things you wish for. Just think of something simple and it might come true."

"You tried it before… Did your wish become true?"

Touku lifted her head and looked at the sky.

"Not yet. But it might still be out there in the sky on the journey to reach its destination."

"So, you still wish for it?" Shizuru said in amazement.

"Yes. It's never an option to give up. You should remember that some things are worth fighting until the very end."

The young girl was amazed by these honest and mature words.

"I think I know something..." she said and Touku made her leave for Shizuru to write down her secret wish.

"1, 2, 3..." and with that the cords were cut. The balloons started their race towards the sky. Shizuru watched her wish flying far away getting smaller with every minute until it was finally out of sight.

"It's already gone..." she said to herself. Not suspecting an answer, she was slightly startled when her mother spoke to her.

"As long as you carry it in your heart there's still hope. You just have to remember to keep on wishing." Her mother, who was suddenly standing beside her, gave her a warm smile and this time, Shizuru returned it without faking.

The HiME-star was shining in a light purple next to the bright moon; both silent witnesses of a heavy fight in the middle of a dark forest. A young girl was doing her best to dodge all the attacks of the big hairy monster in front of her. After some of her bullets hit their target, the fight that had lasted for almost an hour was slowly coming to an end. She was finally in a good position to finish off her opponent.

"Duran, Load Silver Cartridge! Fire!" Her voice echoed through the tranquility of the woods while the strange looking monster was bursting into a thousand pieces. And then there was nothing... Only the howl of her child cut through the serenity of the night once more. But soon the sound faded and the raven-haired girl remained in the darkness a little longer.

She loved the silence after an intense fight. Just when she started to enjoy the loneliness she heard voices followed by footsteps. Many footsteps…

_Shit! Those suit-up bastards really are a plague. Where did they come from? It was certainly easier to fight these stupid Orphans before coming to Fuuka. This is only my first hunt and I am already chased by some strangers._

The young girl was not in the condition to fight with so many of them now. So she decided that for now, it would be better to hide. Being in good shape, she was able to climb up a huge tree in a few seconds. Her dark hair and the biker-suit let her merge perfectly with the branches and leaves. She could see the little figures searching the battle ground beneath her without having a clue were the fighter was gone. After the dark men were gone she remained on the tree a little longer to make sure that they won't come back again. When she was about to climb down she suddenly heard a sound coming from the right. She instantly summoned her guns in her hands and aimed towards the rustling. When she saw the cause of the noises she felt really stupid. _Really now... I am fighting orphans and get freaked out over such a trivial thing... _Next to her was a little purple balloon that was drifting back and forth in the wind, rubbing on some twigs here and there. Its cord was tangled up in the Natsuki took a closer look she saw that something was tied at the end of the cord. _Right, there is this stupid game where people write down their thoughts and wished on a piece of paper and tie them onto a balloon. As if any of it would ever come true! Stupid humans! _Nevertheless curious, she reached out and unfolded the crumbled piece of paper. There was a very accurate and pretty handwriting on it. So she figured it had to be from a girl.

"For someone to see the real me..." She read aloud. _What a strange wish that person has. I would rather wish for the opposite. This girl and I must be completely different... _

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><p><strong>AN:** Okay and so Shizuru entered the stage.


	6. Orphans

"_**Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you I had no control over.**__**"**_

**Disclaimer: Sunrise owns Mai HiME but this story is mine...mine alone muwhaha!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6: Orphans<strong>

On the way home from the fight, an exhausted Natsuki went on alert when she again heard footsteps accompanied by the sound of sharp metals clicking against each other coming closer. She hid behind a tree to wait but soon relaxed when she saw that the cause of the sounds was a certain pink-haired girl.

"So, you haven't changed at all." Natsuki said, revealing her position.

The younger girl was startled at first by noticing that somebody had approached her but she recognized that deep voice in an instant.

After they had stumbled into each other in the morning, they'd spent the rest of the day together, trying to catch up with the years they had lived different lives. Although Nao was the talkative one as ever. She told Natsuki the most important facts about the school and its teachers. They eventually had to part in the evening because the sleeping-time was strict in the dormitory. Both didn't seem to mind though, already having plans for tonight. They just didn't know that it were the same ones until now.

"And neither have you it seems. Hello Duran, how have you been?" Nao grinned and got closer to pet the mechanic wolf, which was leaning into the touch before walking past Nao to greet an old comrade. "You're also on a hunting trip I suppose."

"Actually, I was on my way back to the dorms. I'm already finished for tonight." She looked above Nao's shoulder for Duran and was greeted by a green eight-legged beast. Her eyes gave away a clear look of disgust. "Hey Julia…" she said with a low voice. The spider-like creature clicked with its yellow scorpion tail to answer the greeting.

"Still the never smiling scaredy-cat. Well, since you've already done the work, let me join you on your way back." Not getting an answer, she knew it was alright. Even if they hadn't seen each other in years, she still knew the taciturn girl very well. They were used to the silence and simply enjoyed each other's presence. There was no need to ask questions. They didn't have to explain anything and that was something they both liked a lot.

_It__'s good to have someone know about my secret after all those years…_The raven-haired girl thought to herself.

**-Flashback-**

Living in the Orphanage wasn't as bad as Nao had presumed at first. But that mostly was because of the fact that she found a very trustworthy friend in her roommate. The boys were right about their sayings that Natsuki never smiled even for a bit but somehow Nao got used to the serious attitude of the usual quiet girl and started to like her ways of showing emotions. She even got bold enough to pick at her older friend sometimes. She found it very cute when the tough girl was embarrassed or scared. Her cheeks had that rosy color then and her voice became quite girlish. This was almost as cute as her pouting face, which she enjoyed even more. With time she discovered that her black-haired friend was amazingly brave when it came to protect her from the comments of the other kids or the scolding from the adults but she was much weaker than she would admit concerning emotions and…insects.

One time when they were playing outside in the woods near a meadow, in a place that they both enjoyed a lot because of its serenity, Natsuki suddenly started screaming. Nao was running over to her in panic because she feared that something terrible had happened to her precious friend. But as soon as she discovered the cause of the ruckus, she started laughing.

"What are you screaming for? It's only a cute little spider." She said in delight.

"CUTE? Are you out of your mind? It's disgusting! Kill it!" She stuttered in panic and the pink-haired girl couldn't help but tease her by grabbing the crawling little creature and holding it right into Natsuki's face.

"IIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!" she screamed with a much too girlish voice. Nao burst out into laughter under Natsuki's panic-face.

"Alright, alright. I will take it to the bushes over there." When the younger girl came back, she grinned at the scared girl.

"Oi, don't tell anybody…" She muttered.

"What that you're a scaredy-cat?" Nao said with a grin.

"Am not…" she made the cutest pouting face.

"Okay, I won't. Promise." Before she sat down next to her friend.

The face of the older girl relaxed. Of course, she wasn't smiling but relieved nonetheless.

So, her knight in shining armor behaved like a little yellowbelly when she saw a spider. But that was just another fact she loved about her older friend. They lived together in this institution for more than three years before everything suddenly changed within one day. At first, they both didn't notice but looking back on it now, it was so obvious.

Neither of them didn't get suspicious when they discovered that they could see that little purple star next to the moon. They were kids and thought it was some special bond they had and indeed it was. They just didn't know how special by then…

It all started with some strange nightmares. Natsuki at first didn't tell her younger friend that she saw pictures of places she had never been before. She couldn't really remember what the dreams were about, only that she felt exhausted every time she woke up. If Nao hadn't figured out by herself, she would have probably never known about those dreams. Luckily, they had developed some sort of habit during their time together in the Orphanage. When Natsuki discovered that her roommate would silently cry herself to sleep at night, she finally found the guts one day to walk over to the bed of the pink-haired girl and asked what was wrong. The younger one slowly turned her face and looked at her with swollen eyes.

"I…I…miss my mama." She said ashamed, holding the sheets in front of her face to cover her mouth. Her tiny hands were shaking just like her voice.

Natsuki never was one to lose too many words and so she simply crawled into the bed of the crying girl and embraced her, eventually hushing her tears away. They both fell asleep as soon as the younger one had calmed down and with time it became a habit that they would sleep in the same bed, keeping each other company during the lonesome nights. Getting real attached to her older friend, it was just a matter of time that Nao would discover Natsuki's nightmares. She had an odd feeling that something bad was about to happen but she couldn't make out what exactly it was.

A few weeks after the nightmares had begun to torture her dear friend, she was sitting on a branch in her favourite tree in the forest, whistling a random melody on a little leaf that she had pressed against her lips. The birds and the wind seemed to accompany her little song, while Natsuki was lying in the grass beneath her, enjoying the sun and the music from above while gently blowing away the little fruits of a blowball next to her head.

Suddenly, a strange feeling got a hold of them and all the sounds vanished within a second. They opened their eyes, knowing that something bad was about to happen. Nao jumped down from the tree and Natsuki stepped in front of her in a defensive pose, ready to protect her younger friend from everything evil.

The wind started to blow heavy and big clouds ate away the sunlight. Nao started to shake and Natsuki did her best to make herself tall in order to show Nao that she would protect her, no matter what happens. The pink-haired girl grabbed the arm of the older one tightly just to know for sure that she wasn't alone. There was a loud cracking as if someone would cut down the trees from afar and the sound slowly started to come closer. Both were unable to move. They were standing there like statues, her eyes focused on the trees and bushes in front of them.

And then there it was.

A huge monster with sharp fangs and a drooling mouth was coming out of the forest. It didn't look like anything they had ever seen before. It was not an animal or anything made of flesh and blood. It looked mechanic but also like a dark shadow. _How could something like this exist?_ Nao attempted to scream by taking in the view in front of them but not a single sound would come out of her mouth. Natsuki's heart started to race yet she felt the need to protect her younger friend. The monster suddenly made a big jump towards them and attacked the little girls. Natsuki lifted her arms to block the attack, being sure that she would be dead within the next seconds but suddenly Duran appeared out of nowhere and jumped in front of Natsuki to get the full blow of the attack. His body was smashed against a huge tree and he winced in pain when he hit the bottom.

"DURAN! NO!" Natsuki screamed and wanted to run over but she was blown away by the force of the next attack. Just when the monster was about to open it's huge mouth for snapping at Nao, a voice appeared out of nowhere.

"It's time, it's time." The words seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. The monster immediately stopped dead in its tracks and another shadow emerged from the trees behind the beast, slowly starting to form the body of a boy that was not much older than the scared girls.

None of them dared to speak a word when the silver-haired ghost came closer.

"Good evening, my little princesses." He said full of joy. "It has been quite awhile, ne Natsuki-chan?" He winked at the black-haired girl.

"Do you know him?" Nao asked.

Natsuki just shook her head.

_I__'ve never met this strange guy before but somehow it feels nostalgic._

The boy smiled widely about the reaction and turned his head to face the monster.

"Down." He said and the monster said down like a little puppy. Both girls were just looking at him in awe.

"I should introduce myself properly. My name is Nagi and the thing you are facing right now, is more or less your destiny. It's the reason why you are in this world." He paused to take in the puzzled faces. "It is called 'Orphan'. Just like the two of you, only with one crucial difference. You are here to fight them…at least for now."

"Fight them? Are you nuts? How shall we fight such a monster?"

"Nice, Nao-chan. I like your honesty." Nagi said without explaining why he would know the name of the surprised pink-haired girl.

"Both of you are princesses."

"Princesses?" Natsuki tossed in.

"So called HiME." Nagi explained. "You have the power to materialize highly-advanced equipment. Try and you will see for yourselves."

"How?" Nao asked still full of doubt.

"You both can see the purple star next to the moon, right?" The boy said. Natsuki and Nao were looking at each other in fear. "It's the HiME-star. Only HiME are able to see it. It will lend you its power to protect yourselves and the world from these lost creatures." He pointed at the still sitting monster behind him. "Just concentrate and your element shall come forth to help you protecting this world."

Natsuki and Nao were still looking at each other before closing their eyes and suddenly out of nowhere particles started to dance around in front of them. When the raven-haired girl opened her eyes again, two little blue pistols were lying in the grass. Afraid of touching them, she was searching for her younger friend. Nao was looking at her hands in disbelief. They had changed into something that looked like metal-claws. Natsuki picked up the guns and ran over to Duran who was still lying on the floor, breathing hard.

"Duran…" she whispered, her hand stained with blood. She knew that her beloved friend was about to die.

"What is this?" Nao mumbled.

"These are your elements. Of course, they aren't enough to fight the monster in front of you." Nagi explained.

"Every HiME is bound to one of those creatures. It's up to you whether to win over or give in to your powers. But once the contract is made, it's irreversible." He went on.

"What does it mean?" Natsuki growled, still shocked about the condition of her beloved dog.

"Basically, you have to fight the monster and if you win or lose will determine your destiny." He smiled again.

"What about this whole destiny stuff? What destiny?" Nao tossed in.

"You'll find out soon enough, my princesses…" He said before vanishing into thin air.

The monster instantly started to attack Natsuki anew. Nao started to run towards her but was rushed off her feet before she could make it there. She turned around and there was another shadow-like monster hanging down from a tree. It had much more arms than needed and started to slowly crawl towards her. When the creature came closer she suddenly heard a voice inside her head.

'I can give you whatever you want, Nao-chan…I can bring back your mother and give you a happy and normal life. All that you've ever wished for shall come true. You just have to trust me and surrender…Trust me…and hold very still' Nao was paralyzed by the bewitching voice and wasn't able to make a move. Natsuki gasped when she saw that her younger friend was about to get crushed under the huge shadow-creature and started to shoot in reflex.

"Nao, fight!" Natsuki screamed and the voice of her beloved friend let Nao snap out of her thoughts and get back to reality. She once more looked at her hands before instantly using the claws to block the attack and to fight back the beast. To her surprised it was very easy now to finish off the mechanic monster after she had shut out the voice from her head. The monster stopped moving as soon as Nao was on top of it. The pink-haired girl could feel the connection with the creature deep within her heart now and the shell started to change its form from black to a dark green. When she looked at the monster now, she saw a spider-like figure under her feet.

'My name is Julia.' The voice was back in her head only a lot kinder and more female now. Nao knew that she had won the battle and she could feel a strange bond that started to form between her and the eight-legged thing. Just when she wanted to triumphantly look at her older friend, she noticed that Natsuki was buried under the other drooling beast, completely spaced-out.

"Natsuki!" she screamed and Julia instantly made a huge jump forward to smack the dark shadow away.

Nao jumped down to her friend and shook her back and forth.

"Snap out of it Nat-chan." She gave her a slap and fortunately it did help.

"Huh?" Natsuki said with a dreamy voice, holding her cheek in pain.

"Are you insane? I almost lost you. Don't you do that to me again…ever." She embraced her with teary eyes.

"Sorry…" An irritated Natsuki muttered. "I was hearing this strange voice in my head that told me it could bring back my parents and even Duran."

"Don't listen to it. It's that monster. It's the only way you can beat it. Stay here with me in this world. We will get through this together. We don't need anyone as long as we have us." Tears started to roll down her eyes.

"Alright." Natsuki was amazed about the strength and the emotion of her younger friend. She stood up to fight back her inner daemons. "I'll win for sure. You can trust me."

"Always." Nao said and watched her friend walk away into the direction of the huge mechanic shadow.

Natsuki stayed true to her words and won the fight easily after their conversation. The drooling beast changed its form into a huge mechanic wolf that let out deep howl as soon as Natsuki petted his head. When the raven-haired girl came back with her child and a content look on her face, Nao already knew the name of the creature.

"Hello Duran." She said.

"How do you know?" Natsuki asked surprised.

"I know you. That's enough…This is Julia." She pointed at the huge spider-like creature behind her and Natsuki made a disgusted face.

Ever since this incident they would go out in the forest together and look out for those so called Orphans to fight. They felt the obligation to keep their home safe and trained each other in order to become better fighters. Their opponents were tough at times but Duran and Julia were mighty weapons and made a nice team. They got used to the fighting and got better at it with every day. After a successful hunting trip they would usually fall asleep very fast.

One night, when Natsuki had another one of her bad dreams, the younger girl would comfort her by holding her hand and distracting her with her voice.

"Ne, Nat-chan. Let's be best friends forever and always help each other if one of us is in danger. Promise?"

"Promise…" was all that the black-haired girl said before they fell asleep, cradled into each others arms, after getting tired of focusing the purple dot next to the moon.

When they awoke the next day, they didn't know that from this day on everything would change. Natsuki was called into the principal's office and Nao did never see her again.

Everything happened so fast, that she at first didn't even realize what she had truly lost.

The adults told her that Natsuki had been adopted and that they were trying to protect them both from a painful parting. But the separation was painful with or without saying goodbye. Things would never be the same after she had lost her other-half. She became a very quiet and angry child. And so she started releasing her agony during her nightly hunting trips, only finding comfort in Julia's presence. Nobody seemed to want her and so she eventually was placed into the Fuuka Academy to be sort of rehabilitated into society. The Orphanage was rather pleased to get rid of the little trouble maker and so they happily took the offer from the owner of the Private School, who wanted to pay for the tuition fees and the accommodation for the pink-haired girl. Hence, the Orphanage didn't have a reason to scrutinize the action. Fortunately, the years and her new surroundings helped her to warm up a bit towards her roommate Mikoto and that busty friend of hers. She would continue her nightly hunting trips on campus and eventually started to enjoy having this little secret. But still, she was never able to forget about her childhood friend. The purple star and her powers were a constant reminder of what she had missed for so long and would probably always miss.

**-End of Flashback-**

When the girls arrived at the dormitory, Nao looked at her older friend.

_You sure have become beautiful, Natsuki__…_

"Oi, what are you looking at?" the raven-haired one said in a strong voice.

"Shh. We have to be quiet. They are very strict here when it comes to sleeping times. I mean they have their reasons why the students shouldn't stray at night." She whispered before smiling at her childhood-friend.

"Guess, so. I hope I don't wake up this Tokiha-person."

"Yeah, you better be careful. It's enough that we both know of our powers." She paused. "But Mai is okay as a person. Give her chance."

"I don't know. I like my privacy." Natsuki mumbled.

"Stubborn as ever." She contemplated for a bit. "What about rooming with me again?"

"Huh?" came the surprised response.

"Well, since I am a huge part of your privacy, you wouldn't mind having me around, right?"

"Mhh."

"And Mai and Mikoto are super-close and equally annoying anyways. I am sure they would be delighted to room with each other plus we could go on our nightly hunting trips together."

Natsuki still looked a bit irritated and unsure and so Nao used a little trick.

"I would feel a lot safer fighting those monsters with you by my side." She said in a weak voice.

"Umm…Sure. Alright then." The uncommunicative girl answered.

"Okay, settled. See, you tomorrow then. I'll solve the rooming issue in the afternoon." She blew kiss.

"Goodnight." Mumbled a very startled Natsuki.

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><p><strong>AN:** Vrooom! And here is the next chapter. I didn't want to wait with the upload any longer since I've already written it two days ago. Chibi Natsuki and Chibi Nao again. Yay! Love them.


	7. Mission

"_**Chaos is the score upon which reality is written."**_

**Disclaimer: Yes it's all mine...all miiiinnneee...mwuhahah...okay, I lied. Sunrise owns at least Mai HiME and its characters.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Mission<strong>

The sun hadn't fully risen when a loud banging forced its way into the dreamless slumber of a certain emerald-eyed girl. The dark curtains did its best to block the first rays of sunlight from illuminating the rather dark room. Only one of two beds in the apartment, that also had a small kitchen and a bathroom, was filled with life. The other one had been empty when Natsuki came back this night. But she had to admit that it was rather pleasant to have no regard for her annoying red-headed roommate. She turned around with a moan and tried to open her tired eyes. Blinking at the alarm-clock, she wasn't sure if she was still asleep but if not, someone would be dead within the next seconds.

_Argh! Whoever this idiot may be, I'll kill him for sure!_

The raven-haired girl shot up from her bed, thereby throwing her pillow against the wall. She opened the door with so much enthusiasm that she almost smacked it into her own face.

"Good morning grumpy-head." Nao greeted her while letting her eyes wander up and down the barely dressed girl in front of her. Only wearing a pair of short blue pants and a white shirt, Natsuki felt slightly uneasy.

"Grrr…" came the animally response.

"What are you a dog now? Cause then it would be very more pleasant to have you whip your tail and bark happily when I come to visit you." Nao couldn't resist mocking the already pissed ice-princess.

"Shut up!" Natsuki growled while brushing back a strand of silky hair to reveal her ever so serious but beautiful face.

Nao sighed.

"Really Natsuki, I know you're not a morning person but it wouldn't hurt to be at least a bit friendlier."

"That's who I am. Deal with it."

"Oh, I know that. I can't remember to have ever seen your smiling face." The pink-haired girl said while giving her a concerned look.

"Because there is no such thing…" Natsuki mumbled.

Nao made a serious face herself now and Natsuki hurried to keep the conversation going before Nao could go into the smiling-topic any deeper.

"What are you here for anyways so early in the morning?" She turned her head to look at the alarm-clock again. "I only slept for three hours or so."

"Same here, but we have to go to the director before class starts to get the approval for the rooming-issue."

"Huh? I thought you would take care of that." Natsuki said surprised.

"Yeah, yeah I know. But it'll probably be a lot easier if you come with me." Nao pouted.

"Alright…I'll be there in a few. Just let me get dressed first." Finally the black-haired girl gave in and Nao smiled contently, while leaning against the doorframe. But before she could drift into a relaxed state, emerald eyes shot daggers at her again.

"Huh?" The pink-haired girl voiced startled.

Natsuki's cheeks became slightly red while she tightly held on to a pair of black jeans that she had taken out of the closet a second ago.

"Needtochangeleave" she mumbled barely auditable.

Nao didn't know why but the sight of her older friend was so adorable that she could have squealed. But she knew she would be dead right away and so she took in a deep breath and calmed her voiced before speaking.

"Listen, you will be rooming with me starting today. So, you better get used to getting dressed in front of me because I am not going to leave the room every time you have to change your clothes."

Natsuki looked at her like a scolded kid. Without responding she turned around and slowly started to lift her shirt.

Nao was following the action with her eyes and to her surprise she was unable to look away. Her face became strangely hot when she took in the sight of the pale skin and the perfectly shaped body. Black strands were scattering across the bare back of the older girl after the white shirt hit the floor. Not even the dark bruises and scratches seemed to be out of place. It looked like the most perfect painting in the world to the pink-haired girl. When she let her eyes wander along the ribcage, she unintentionally gulped by noticing the curves of the upper-body of her friend. The silence and the slowly breakthrough of sunlight through the curtains underlined the odd scenario. Little particles of dust were glistening in front of the almost naked form of her friend, making the moment even more surreal.

When Natsuki finally was ready and turned around, she still had a light pink color on her face.

"Okay, we can go." The raven-haired girl said shyly while facing the bottom. Only when she didn't get any response at all, she lifted her head a bit. Her friend was still leaning against the doorframe but her vision had become a bit dull.

"Oi, what's wrong?" Natsuki eventually said.

"Mh?" Nao felt like being woken up from a dream and Natsuki eyed her younger friend with suspicion. The pink-haired girl's mind slowly started to work again and the realization of the strange situation made her cheeks flush.

"Ugh, I…Let's go." She turned around, cursing herself about her weird behaviour.

_Now what the hell was that? Looking at your childhood friend like a little pervert. It's not the first time that I see a girl undress. I even survived the sight of Mai's huge…Okay, let's not go into this serious woman and her perfect body._

The campus was still empty, only the sound of singing birds accompanied their silent walk to the residence of the director. There was not one cloud in sight, when the sun slowly climbed up the sky.

"Do you really think the director will welcome us at this time?" Natsuki asked full of doubt.

"Yes. I know it sounds strange but the director was the one who freed me from the Orphanage and takes care of all the fees."

Natsuki gave her a surprised look that practically screamed 'why'.

"I don't know why either…at least not yet. But Mikoto and Mai also get this kind of support." She made a short pause. "By the way, I already asked both of them about this. It's okay with them."

"So, she slept in your room." Natsuki asked somehow disinterested.

"Yes, when I got back, Mikoto and Mai were sound asleep and when my alert went off in the morning they were already up, preparing breakfast."

"But that means they must have noticed that we were gone during the night."

"Seems so. But they didn't ask any questions." It sounded very nonchalantly but Natsuki could see that her younger friend looked a bit worried. Before she could get into it, Nao suddenly stopped.

"Over there." She pointed at the huge white building in front of them. Only now, Natsuki slowly started to realize her surroundings. She had mostly been starring at her feet during the walk to avoid the bright sunlight flashing her still tired eyes. She felt like being caught in another world right now. The house looked like a villa from the early American South and the Campus seemed far away. The whole building looked more like a presidential residence than like an office for a school director.

"Ne Nao, this guy must be a bit creepy. Living all by himself in such a huge house and giving away his money to random children." Natsuki said her typical mistrusting manner.

Nao chuckled under Natsuki's words before enlightening her.

"He is a she and she has a nurse who takes care of her."

"She? Nurse? Huh?" Question marks were decorating the raven-haired girls face but before Nao could explain anything, a calm and steady voice reached their ears.

"Welcome Nao-san. You brought a friend today."

"Good morning, Mashiro-sama, this is…"

"Kuga Natsuki. I already know." The voice tossed in.

The thought of the incident yesterday in her first class suddenly stroke Natsuki's thoughts.

_Oh shit. Of course, she would know after my fulminate first impression on campus. She will never approve of our request._

Natsuki's head shot up in panic, trying to explain the situation from yesterday but as soon as she took in the sight of the owner of the voice her jaw dropped.

"Ummm…Wheelchair…Child…" she said in disbelief. Nao got to her stunned friend and closed her mouth with a slap on her chin.

"You're being rude." She mumbled only for Natsuki to hear.

"My body is weak but one of the advantages of my illness is that I look fairly younger than I really am." The little girl with violet coloured hair said mystically.

"Ermm, sorry. I didn't mean to offend." Natsuki mumbled.

"You haven't." She smiled warmly. "You two are up quite early."

"Yes, actually we have a request." Nao tossed in before Natsuki could voice any more dumb comments.

"You two want to room together. I though so and I already arranged everything."

Now both of them stared at her with puzzled eyes.

"You two seem surprised. I figured that much since you've been good friends for such a long time. You better hurry to get your things packed Nao-san. Or you'll have to wait with the moving until after class. I bet Mai-san already has her things stored in your room."

"How…" Nao stumbled.

"I am the director. I have to be aware of everything concerning this school and its students." She was still calmly smiling at the girls.

"You're tea is ready Mashiro-sama." An even more childlike-voice came from the direction of the house. Natsuki spotted a woman in a maid outfit with light pink hair and figured that it must be the so called "nurse".

"Thanks, Fumi-san. I'll be there right away." And with that the spooky girl was gone.

When the girls where on their way back, none of them was talking for awhile. Both were wrapped up in her own thoughts. It was Nao who broke the silence first.

"Who pays for your fees?" she asked out of the blue.

Natsuki stopped dead in her tracks as if the question had slapped her.

"I…I have no idea." She said clueless. "I actually never thought about this. Maybe the state."

"Or maybe the director…" Nao claimed, still deep in thoughts. "Natsuki!"

"Yes!" she responded quite shocked about the commanding tone of her younger friend.

"We have a mission!" The pink-haired girl triumphantly raised her fist.

"Mission?" Natsuki just looked at her as if Nao was a complete idiot.

Nao got closer and whispered into her hear. "Yes, we need to find out more about this. Don't you think it's suspicious that she already knew about the both us of being old friends?"

Natsuki deliberated a bit but came to the conclusion that Nao was right. Something was strange about that kid-director.

Just before they were about to enter the dorms, a female voice called out for Nao.

"Yuuki-san, don't be late on your first class. You know you have to hand in that essay today."

Sweat drops were instantly building up on Nao's forehead.

"Shit!" She silently cursed to herself before turning around and smiling her brightest smile. "Ahem…Midori …You know about that, I didn't…"

"Nao, I told you not to call me Midori in public. I am still one of your teachers."

"Sure, sure. Sorry, about that." She paused. "But about that essay…" Nao stuttered onwards.

"You should not lose focus due to your…nightly activities." By voicing the last words, she gave Natsuki a 'I-know-it-all-glance' that let her take a step back in fear.

When Midori turned around, Nao let out a sigh of relief.

"What the hell was that?" Natsuki asked.

"That was Midori, my and probably your history teacher too."

"Teacher? Really now, what kind of school is this?"

"Hmm, who knows? I've never been to any other school before."

"Mh, me neither." They were both looking at each other with puzzled eyes before the heard a loud noises coming from the second floor.

"Mikoto stop it! Let's wait for Natsuki and Nao before you start moving this…woohaaa!" A loud bang could be heard, followed by an odd silence. The voice was obviously Mai's and the two green-eyed girls didn't hesitate for a second and ran up the stairs.

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><p><strong>AN:** Next Chapter: Natsuki and Shizuru...Encounter


	8. Obey

"_**You can chain me, you can torture me, you can even destroy this body, but you will never imprison my mind."**_

**Disclaimer: Sunrise, you lucky bastards, you own Mai HiME but this story is mine.**

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><p><em><em>**Chapter 8: Obey**

The chestnut-haired woman dashed through the door, following the huge footsteps of her father. Her eyes were shining in a dark red. This was one of the few moments were she couldn't conceal her anger anymore.

„I am only sixteen. With all respect, I don't believe it's a necessity to decide something like this by now." She nearly screamed after the tall man, who shot around when he noticed the tone of his daughter.

"It's not a request Shizuru! It's an order!" He said, building himself up in front of the angry girl.

"I am your daughter! Not one of your slaves!" She said bravely.

"You hit the point and that's why you will do what you have to you!"

"I won't! I don't have any feelings for this…boy…and I don't desire to have some…ever."

"What? Are telling me that you will remain alone forever? This isn't possible. You have responsibilities. You are not a little child any more. You are a woman and the heir of the Fujino-family. You may resign from love but not from man! This is indispensable!"

The chesty voice echoed through the main-hall. None of the usual busy servants seemed to be present at the moment. The young girl felt as if she was the only person on earth right now, besides the man who was supposed to be her father of course. The day hasn't even started, yet it was already over.

"Fine. I should do as you wish then. If you can bare the sight of your daughter living a life with a men without letting in the one feeling that people desire the most…" Shizuru said in a broken tone.

"You're being melodramatic my little princess. Love is nothing to be desired and certainly not as great as people think. It is evil and destructive. Wars have broken out because of love. But I cannot remember any of them that were solved by love. That's the stuff people put into fiction. Love is violent and mad it only leads to suffering. You should be better off without bothering with such a thing anyways. I am even more relieved to know that you will live your life in pure dignity with Kanzaki-san on your side. Happiness and love is not linked to each other. You'll achieve success and approval without being fooled by love. Are we clear, Shizuru?"

"Crystal…"

Shizuru immediately turned on her heel, holding her breath to stop the salty water that was blurring gaze from floating out. On her way downstairs she called for Touku to hand her the bag for school.

"Isn't it quite early Miss?" She asked politely as ever. But when the girl turned around, she had to gasp in shock. The usual kind crimson eyes were flickering with anger although the rest of Shizuru's face was as calm as ever.

"I have to be there early today. We have a council meeting." The lies flew out of her mouth so perfectly. Touku didn't dare to ask any further question. She had known Shizuru for a long time by now and she wasn't in any position to dig deeper although she felt very sorry for the young lady.

After the driver of the limousine had stopped at the school entrance, Shizuru politely said her goodbyes and left in the direction of the student-council room. But as soon as she was out of sight, she stopped and started to walk towards a little path that was well hidden behind some bushes near the sports area.

On the other side of the school three girls were hectically running from one room to another with her hands full of cloths. Only a certain raven-haired one was standing next to the window of her room, not bothering to lend a hand. She seemed to be deep in thoughts while watching the main campus slowly fill with people.

"Thanks for helping." Nao said, being obviously sarcastic.

"You're old enough to do that on your own and besides I have an appointment in ten minutes." Natsuki coldly replied.

The pink-haired girl was a bit shocked about the answer but she knew that her friend was not like anybody else. After all she had still no idea what life Natsuki had lived in the last years and so she decided to just be patient and bare with her cold behavior for now.

"Huh? Before class? What kind of appointment?" Nao said a bit surprised.

"With a friend of mine. I'll tell you later about it…" The black-haired girl said in an almost mischievous tone.

Nao was so stunned by the response that she just looked at her older friend with puzzled eyes. But before the silence was able to linger, Mai and Mikoto came in with a happy face.

"Mission moving: accomplished!" The busty red-head stated with the enthusiasm typical of her, forming the victory sign with her left hand.

"Mai…hungry…" Mikoto was tugging on the skirt of her taller friend with teary eyes.

"You already had breakfast earlier, remember?" she answered.

"But I am hungry…"

"Fine, we still have some time left before classes start. I bet you two are hungry too. You're very welcome to join us in our new room." Mai said, smiling triumphantly at Mikoto.

"Sure, we didn't have breakfast by now." Nao looked at her serious comrade.

"I pass." Natsuki said with her husky voice and went out of the room without looking at anyone.

"She hates me, right?" Mai looked at Nao a bit disappointed about the response.

Still looking after her childhood friend, she sighed before answering the troubled girl next to her.

"No, she doesn't hate you. She's just…different."

The raven-haired girl walked along the main path of the campus, trying to act as normal as possible. But if anyone would have known her a little longer, it would have been obvious that she was up to something. She looked over her shoulder way too much to mimic a normal student on the way to school. As soon as she felt unobserved, she nonchalantly turned into the direction of the woods.

_Okay, if Yamada did his job right, anything should be arranged by now…_

After a while of running through the forest, she entered a little glade that was well hidden by some huge trees. Her eyes begun to shine by taking in the sight in front of her.

A black Kawasaki Ninja was solemnly standing in the middle of the clearing. The sun was shining through the treetops like a spotlight.

_He did it!_

Natsuki couldn't help but running over to her beloved bike. A little piece of paper was attached to the handlebar.

'_As previously arranged. Yamada_' was written on it. Natsuki was overly happy and kneeled down to check her much missed motorcycle for any scratches or signs of demolition but to her delight it was just as fine as the last time she had seen it.

_Oh how I wish I could go for a ride right now but I have classes in a few and my biker suit is still in my suitcase__… _

She thought to herself while tracing along the seat of her favorite accessory. She let out a sigh when she looked at her clock, knowing that she had to wait for a trip until this afternoon.

On her way back, she soon found herself somewhat lost in the little school forest.

_Oh shit, I'__m gonna be late for history class…Damn this school, nothing's going right! I will already have my attendance record screwed up before the first week of the semester is over. I will not waste my time on this school any longer than the needed two years._

And just when she was silently cursing the forest and its maze-like appearance, she spotted a little path on her right.

_Finally, at least some__ sort of luck!_

She started to run down the pathway, not sure where it would take her. After a short while she wasn't sure if it would really lead her back to school grounds or even deeper into the woods. The increasing volume of singing birds and the chirping grasshoppers weren't a really good sign in her current situation either. She eventually slowed down a bit to take in her surroundings for a while. A soft breeze wafted trough the trees, carrying a mild scent of flowers to her nose. When she inhaled the bloomy flavor, her feet suddenly started to move by themselves. They led her to the most surreal sight she had ever seen, outside of an Orphan of course.

The scent had become so overwhelming by now that it was slowly intoxicating her mind and taking over her senses. When she reached the end of the forest she wasn't sure if she was hallucinating or if she had been accidentally stumbling into another universe.

Her vision seemed to blur under the deep cerise colored sea of paddles and flowers in front of her. It looked like some kind of secret garden. She instantly remembered that book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. She read it when she was younger and seeing this secluded place in front of her, she couldn't help but thinking that she had found the key to that hidden beauty just now.

In the middle of the garden was a neat white chapel, surrounded by dozens of blooming flowers. The wind was staging a play of fallen blossoms acting as a steady breath of her surroundings. She wasn't sure if she was allowed to enter this little paradise without permission but she also couldn't stop her feet from moving onwards. She felt like something was calling for her.

While slowly making her way to the chapel, she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks when she noticed that she wasn't alone. A girl in a white school uniform was standing in front of a pink flowerbed. Her chestnut-colored hair was floating softly in the wind, to accidentally accompany the dance of the falling blossoms. Natsuki had never seen this kind of uniform on the school before and figured that she must have either left the main campus of Fuuka or really must have fallen into some parallel universe. She felt idiotic standing there like a statue yet she couldn't help but starring at the back of the stranger. Something deep inside of her started to pull on her nerves. When the brunette reached out for one of the flowers, Natsuki was so shocked about the sudden movement that she unintentionally gasped. The girl in front of her stopped her action right away and got back into a composed posture, still not turning around.

"I thought I was alone here." The stranger said nonchalantly with a thick Kyoto-accent.

Natsuki felt caught and wasn't able to open her mouth right away. After an awkward pause she finally started to stutter some kind of response.

"I…I…sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt your…" she had no idea where this sentence was going. "I think I got lost or something. I was looking for Fuuka Gakuen." Her voice sounded even more husky than usual.

"Ara, problem solved then. This is the rose garden of the Fuuka Academy."

"Rose Garden…" _I never knew that schools do have things like that…maybeschool isn't so bad after all…wait, if she knows this, she must attend Fuuka too… _"So you're a student of Fuuka too."

Shizuru's eyes shot up in surprise. _So she doesn't know who I am?_

"Sorry, I'm new and I don't know all the school uniforms by now." Natsuki went on, feeling all the more stupid.

Intrigued by the deep but female voice, the other girl was finally turning around. Thereby brushing back some strands of her hair, to get a glimpse of her silent observer. When she faced the owner of the husky voice, her heart suddenly started to beat faster without any logical reason. Natsuki was just standing there very still and Shizuru let her eyes wander up and down the perfect shaped body. The long black hair was floating in the wind, framing this unbelievingly perfect picture. Not sure what to think of her odd body condition, Shizuru tried to act as flawless as ever and gave away one of her perfect smiles.

The raven-haired girl was taken aback when she got a full view of her opposite. The slender girl was a little taller than her and looked like she was the heir of some royal family. Her movements seemed so gracious and elegant that Natsuki felt like the clumsiest person on earth. Her light brown hair was waving in the wind while she was politely smiling at the lost girl. Natsuki, still serious as ever, was confused about the situation. Although the girl was smiling, her deep-crimson eyes looked sad and desperate. Something seemed to be out of place and so she remained suspicious.

"My name is Shizuru. Fujino Shizuru." The brunette said, still keeping up her perfect masquerade.

_Shizuru…__ Hearing the name feels so familiar. Almost like a deja-vu. S_uddenly, a sharp pain shot through Natsuki's head as if a needle was piercing through her brain. _Ouch…What is this…_She couldn't help but shutting her eyes in pain. The other girl sure must have noticed but didn't say anything at all.

"Kuga Natsuki" came the cold reply as soon as the pain had become bearable.

"Pleased to meet you Natsuki-san." The other one said politely.

"Natsuki"

"Sorry?"

"It's just Natsuki." The raven-haired girl was still rubbing her forehead after the attack.

"Oh okay." Shizuru said, a bit shocked about the harsh reply.

Natsuki was still spaced out about the strange feeling that was building up inside of her ever since she saw this girl in the rose garden from behind and an awkward silence took place. Suddenly, the green-eyed one remembered that she had classes to attend.

"Umm, I gotta go. Bye." She simply stated and started to run past the taller girl. Only then, she noticed the crushed flowers on the bottom, right were the older girl had been standing before.

_Was this her? _

Natsuki didn't know why she even bothered with such a question but she couldn't help it. Something was off. She just didn't know what exactly it was by now.

Just when she was about to enter the forest again, she suddenly stopped and turned around once more.

"Oi, Shizuru…" She bluntly said.

The crimson-eyed woman could only stare at her in disbelief. She couldn't remember the last time that somebody had addressed her so informally.

_She really has no idea who I am…_

"I think I still don't know the way." Natsuki admitted with a light blush on her face, while walking back to the taller girl with her hands in her pocket.

Shizuru couldn't help but giggle about the sight of the blushing girl in front of her.

_Natsuki huh…A very pretty name…for a very pretty girl…_She sighed. _I should really stop having these weird thoughts about girls…_

"Are you finished making fun of me by now?" Natsuki growled at her.

"Now now, who would be in such a bad mood in such a beautiful place?" Shizuru tried to sound playful but Natsuki would respond coldly as ever, never forming a smile with her lips.

"I could ask you the same."

"Huh?"

Just pointing at the crushed flowers, Natsuki answered the question without words.

_She noticed…_ Shizuru was shocked but instantly covered the situation.

"Is it okay if I accompany you on your way back?" The brunette politely asked for a change of topic. She really didn't want to draw any more attention to her odd behavior. It's not very responsible for the student-council president to walk around and crush flowers in the rose garden after all.

The raven-haired girl furrowed her brow, not sure what to think of the sudden question but soon noticed that she had no other option since she was still lost.

"Fine."

The taller girl smiled again…and again Natsuki didn't buy it. The crimson eyes still didn't give away the feeling of happiness.

"You shouldn't smile if you don't mean it." She said outright with a strong voice.

This time Shizuru couldn't hide the surprise. _How dare you judging me like that after knowing me for only a few minutes? _She was angry but she didn't really know why. _Because she figured me out so easily? _She locked her eyes with the emerald orbs of her opposite not bothering to hide any of her emotions any longer. The fire burnt wildly in her crimson eyes but the other girl didn't seem to falter, she just stared back at her. The longer the situation lasted the more Shizuru felt like drowning into the ocean of those stunning green eyes, that seemed to slowly choke the fire and turned it into fast heartbeats again. For Shizuru it felt like being naked in public. She wasn't used to be around somebody without her daily masquerade. She was afraid, afraid of being so vulnerable in front of a complete stranger.

_What is she doing to me…__These eyes…_

Natsuki could feel the rising tension. She didn't know why but somehow she couldn't tear her eyes away from the enraged glance of the taller girl. She even felt relieved when she saw the anger slowly evaporate from her opposite. The longer she stared into the deep red, the more she started to get uneasy as if something inside of her rebelled against the whole scenario.

Shizuru was still deep in thoughts but she could see that the other girl was getting uneasy. Without even realizing her mouth worked by itself.

"Natsuki…" The Kyoto-born woman was shocked to suddenly hear how own voice without giving permission but it felt somehow right..

On Natsuki the verbalization had an even greater effect. The familiarity made the pain from before come back even stronger. The force started to torture her mind mercilessly. She couldn't help but falling on her knees, holding her head in pain. Her vision got blurry. The last thing she saw were dark red eyes before everything went pitch-black.

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><p><strong>AN:** And so they met in the familiar spot...but this time Shizuru is the one to destroy the beautiful flowers that should be loved, since they doing its best in blooming during their short life...I wonder who is falling in love with the other one in this story...My chapters really becoming longer...it's a strange proportonial equation where the reviews get shorter or fewer but the chapters longer.


	9. Not Alone

"_**One doesn't fall in love one grows into love, and love grows in him."**_

**Disclaimer: Mai HiME is property of Sunrise.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 9: Not Alone <strong>

"What happened?" Nao's eyes flickered in panic.

"She collapsed. Probably due to dehydration or not enough sleep... or a mixture of both. She's sleeping right now. Don't worry, your friend is good," Midori said, trying her best to calm down the freaked out student. But Nao wasn't one to easily calm down when she was worried.

"Where is she?"

"In Youko's... Ahem, I mean in the infirmary."

"I'll go there and..."

"No, you go back to class. I'm sure she'll already be back in your room after class. For now, just let her rest a bit," Midori insisted and the pink-haired girl gave her an uncomprehending look in return.

The too-young-to-be-a-teacher-looking girl leaned back in the seat of her office and turned her head towards the window, making clear that her words were final.

"Fine!" Nao mumbled with gritted teeth before walking out.

_Shit! Could this have anything to do with that mysterious appointment Natsuki was talking about earlier? Maybe she got attacked by an Orphan... but then... she's strong enough to look after herself... I hope she's not hurt or anything... _

When the school bell rang the students to freedom, Nao dashed out of the classroom and started running towards the dormitory.

"Hey Nao!" Mai shouted after her. The rushed girl turned around quickly to state that she didn't have time now.

"Did something happen?" The red-head shouted even louder since Nao didn't slow down. Without turning around the green-eyed girl just stated the facts.

"Natsuki collapsed this morning somewhere on school grounds. I need to check on her." And with that she was out of sight.

Mai gave Mikoto a serious but knowing look. Both seemed to be used to communicate without words. The short-haired girl just nodded at her older friend and everything was clear.

When Nao arrived at the apartment, she carefully opened the door. She didn't want to wake up her friend, but when she peeked inside the room her jaw dropped.

"Wha... what the hell... " she stuttered in disbelief, pointing at the black figure that was sitting on Natsuki's bed.

"You better close your mouth before a fly takes it as an invitation," was the cool comment from the supposedly sick girl.

Nao didn't really know what to think of the whole situation. She had expected her precious friend to lie down in bed, badly hurt or at least exhausted from her collapse in the morning. But here she was, sitting on her bed in a tight dark biker-suit that let not much room for imagination. Natsuki slowly rose to her feet and tugged a strand of her long black hair behind her ears, while Nao was still starring at her like an idiot.

Following the movements of Natsuki, Nao couldn't help but letting her eyes wander up and down the perfectly shaped body.

"Oi, what are you starring at?" Emerald-eyes piercing her with suspicion. Nao felt completely caught and couldn't fight down the rosy color on her cheeks.

"Ahem... " She coughed. "What's with that outfit?" she said, trying to giggle the oddness of the situation away.

"Are you blushing?" Natsuki said outwardly as ever.

"Huh? Are you an idiot or what? It's freaking hot in here." She rushed over to open the window for underlining her statement. "Plus, I was running on my way back here because I thought you were seriously injured, or ill, or whatever. But it seems you're doing just fine." She couldn't really explain the annoyed undertone in her voice but Natsuki obviously wasn't in the mood to pick up a fight. She seemed completely content.

"I am good. I'm going out." The older girl stated, while walking to her closet.

"Out? Like on a date? In a leather-suit?" _Dammit! Why would I say something so stupid? _

"Nao..." Natsuki turned around with her all-time serious expression. "Are you sure, that you're not the one who's somehow feeling a little sick. You're acting like a weirdo."

She didn't know why but the more she felt cornered by Natsuki's words, the more she lashed out at her older friend without reason.

"What?! I was seriously worried about you the whole day and now I find you here doing alright and already going out on a date with some stranger. I mean, first your mysterious appointment in the morning and then your suddenly collapse out of the blue and now you're treating me like I'm nuts."

Natsuki couldn't help but sigh over the words of her childhood-friend.

"Okay, listen. I am not really used to be responsible towards anyone. I didn't have a friend like you during the last years and it seems I somehow have forgotten to act like one. I am sorry I made you worry."

"It's fine... I would just like to be a part of your life... again... "

"You are. I just have to remember how to act around someone who knows so much about me."

_I don't have the feeling I know anything about you, Natsuki... _

Nao's eyes became sad. "You could start with telling me what happened this morning... Was it an Orphan?"

"It's a longer story. I'll tell you tonight after our hunt, okay?"

"Okay... " Nao mumbled.

"I really got to go now." She turned around and took her helmet out of the closet. "I'm going for a ride."

"A ride?"

"Don't ask where I got that bike from. I can't tell you. Just be happy for me that I've finally got it back."

_A bike... she sure is full of surprises. Well, that explains the biker suit. It really fits her though... _Nao could feel the heat coming back._ Damn that sexy woman!_

She was relieved that her friend went straight to the door without noticing her blushing.

"Natsuki... "

"Yes?"

_Be safe..._

"This makes your ass look a little fat." Nao grinned deviously.

The older girl clenched her fist in anger.

"Mind your own business!" She angrily replied before slamming the door shut. Nao let out a sigh while jumping backwards on the bed. _Still as conceited as ever... _She smiled to herself when she thought of them as kids. Although Natsuki would never admit it, she was always very concerned about her looks.

The raven-haired girl's heart beat faster as the engine roared underneath her. _Oh how I missed this... _The airstream got heavier when she increased the speed and her surroundings started to blur. Without a destination, she was following the lead of the main road that was eventually taking her out of the city of Fuuka. The traffic got less when she entered the coast line. _I guess this town isn't that bad after all... _

After a few minutes she came to a big bluff that was standing out in the ocean. She slowed down her pace while passing by and stared at the view. She came to a stop and made a U-turn, parking her bike near the barrier. She wasn't able to tear her gaze away from the ephemeral blue of the ocean. She didn't know why but she could feel her heart becoming heavy under the breathtaking sight. Deeply inhaling the fresh and salty air, Natsuki slowly walked to the edge. The crushing waves and the deep blue had a soothing effect but she couldn't fight the strange melancholy that was building up inside of her chest.

_I have no idea what happened after my lights went out in the rose garden. I suppose this girl took me to the infirmary somehow... I wonder where she went. I couldn't even say thank you. But where did this strange headache come from to begin with? It started as soon as we started talking... Well, after she said her name..._

"Shizuru..." Natsuki whispered the name into the cool breeze that was carrying it away over the ocean to edge of the sounded so familiar and yet so far away. Like a song she had heard before but couldn't remember the words.

When the dawn finally ate away the last rays of sunlight, she started her engine and drove back towards the dormitory. She parked her bike in a secret spot in the woods and hurried to get into her room before it got completely dark outside. She luckily made it back before the lights went out for bedtime.

"I'm home," she said when she entered the apartment.

"Welcome back." _Finally... _

"Are you okay? You look a bit flustered," she asked her pink-haired friend.

_Flustered? I was worried moron! _"I'm fine. Are you hungry? Mai came over for dinner and we spared a bit for you." Nao did her best to sound distant and Natsuki noticed the change of behavior but didn't know what to do. _If she doesn't want to talk about it, I have to accept her privacy._ She thought before answering.

"Actually, I'm really a bit hungry."

"Here you go." The green-eyed girl placed the cup of ramen on the desk before sitting back on her bed.

"Thanks." After Natsuki finished her meal, she leaned back in the chair with tired eyes.

"It's okay if you don't come with me tonight. I think I can handle it on my own. You must still be exhausted after your collapse."

"Do you wanna get rid of me already?" The older one said. It was meant to sound playful for easing the mood but with her serious face and her deep voice it was hard to figure out. Luckily Nao knew her childhood friend better than anyone else and couldn't help but give up her serious attitude.

"Guess I wouldn't mind your presence." She formed a crooked smile. "Who wouldn't like to be guarded by a hot biker-lady..." Nao had risen from her bed and came slowly closer to the target of her teasing attack. "...in a leather suit..." The last words were almost hushed into the older girl's ear "…all alone in the solitude of the night..." Natsuki could feel her blood rushing to her head and gave Nao a terrified glance.

_Nosebleed-alert!_

The ice-princess instinctively grabbed her nose with both hands and lost every last bit of balance. She fell backwards along with the chair and landed on her head with a loud bang.

"Ouch!" she screamed overpowering Nao's laughing sounds. "Oi, don't laugh at me you little..."

"Shhh!" Nao kneeled down and hushed her friend to silence, placing a hand over Natsuki's mouth to stop the ruckus from attracting even more attention.

"You don't want to draw too much attention at this hour." She paused and added "...by calling me dirty names." She winked at her now anxious looking friend.

Natsuki was not only startled by the words but by the sudden closeness of their bodies. Alone the presence of the younger girl above her silenced her and so Nao soon removed her hand.

When the pink-haired girl realized the odd position they were in, her smile suddenly vanished and was replaced with an indescribable look. _What the hell am I doing here...? I need to stop this, she's my best friend after all._ So she thought, but still her body didn't move an inch. The tension seemed to reach a very uncomfortable level yet neither of them seemed to be able to pull away.

Out of nowhere someone banged against their door which made them both jump in panic.

"It's already bedtime. So, please be quiet." came the strict voice from one of the teachers.

None of them replied. They just stood there very silently with their hearts hammering in their chests. After the footsteps had sheered, Nao let out a sigh.

"Pweh... this was close. We should really be more careful if we don't want to let anybody know about our nightly hunting trips." The pink-haired girl turned around to look at her older friend. When she saw the irritated look on Natsuki's face, she felt bad about her teasing. "Shall we go then? I bet Duran is already missing you." She knew that she could distract her precious friend with her mechanic monster. Natsuki was a dog-person after all, and indeed, by hearing the name of her beloved pet, her face started to relax.

"Let's go." was the short response before they silently left the building.

When they entered the forest, they both stopped dead in their tracks giving each other a knowing look. Natsuki signified Nao to turn left with a nod. They could clearly feel the presence of a monster.

"We have to be careful. It somehow feels odd today." The younger one whispered.

Natsuki stopped and looked at the sky to check on the purple star next to the moon, but she couldn't see anything through the thick clouds that were hanging over the school grounds like dangerous mist.

"It feels so close but I can't see a thing... " Natsuki replied just as silently.

"Did you hear that just now?" Nao suddenly asked.

The raven-haired girl fell silent but as much as she concentrated, she couldn't make out any awkward sound.

"I hear nothing," she replied.

"I could have sworn I heard a voice. It sounded distant, but also very close."

"Huh?" Natsuki gave her a puzzled look.

"I can't describe it. Somehow ghost-like."

"Ghost-like?" The raven-haired girl became pale.

"Natsuki, stop being such a sissy." The pink-haired girl started to mock her again.

"Am not! But ghosts aren't funny." She made her pouting face and Nao giggled a bit.

"There are no things like ghosts." Nao started to walk onwards and Natsuki soon followed.

"How would you know?" They were completely wrapped up in their heated conversation when they both suddenly stumbled through some sort of wall.

Not really knowing what had just happened, they found themselves in the middle of a heavy fight. They could see two Orphans in front of them. The guests were noticed in an instant by the mechanic monsters and the larger one started to dash towards them. Natsuki jumped to the right while Nao chose the left to dodge the attack. But the beasts seemed to be somehow linked to each other as suddenly the other one was snatching at Nao, who was still in her ditching move. Natsuki saw the action from the corner of her eye and started to panic.

The younger girl knew she couldn't dodge the sudden attack and closed her eyes, awaiting the pain. When she didn't feel the impact but heard a huge bang instead, she peeked through her eyelids and saw that the monster had been blown away by some unknown force. She blinked once and finally saw her savior right in front of her.

The little girl, who usually would whine over being hungry, stood in front of her in a shielding position with a huge sword in her hands. Her black bangs were still waving under the impact of the stroke.

"Mik... Mikoto..." Nao stuttered and pointed at her previous roommate.

"Don't worry, you're safe now, Nao, mhmh!" The little one said with a smile on her face before she turned around to chase the slimy monster.

"Mikoto..." Natsuki whispered to herself.

A quick peek to her left, reminded her that she couldn't just stand there like an idiot. The huge monster had already targeted her.

"Duran!" The raven-haired girl said with her husky voice while flipping her hair back. She was encircled in light and sharp ice-blocks dashed out from the earth beneath her, followed by a howl of her monster-dog.

Nao was still shocked about the appearance of Mikoto and even more stunned about the shattering ice play of her childhood-friend. She had almost forgotten how beautiful Natsuki's element was.

"Oi Nao, stop spacing out and fight!" Natsuki screamed at her from afar, dodging one attack after another, while Mikoto was still fighting the other Orphan.

"Huh?" She said in a dreamy voice, not noticing that the huge monster was about to attack her again.

"Watch out!" Natsuki screamed but was silenced by another voice.

"Kagutsuchi!" came the mighty scream, followed by an enormous fireball that blew the monster backwards right into Mikoto's blade that tore it apart in an instant.

"Holy Shit..." Nao mumbled. "Don't tell me... " She turned around, knowing that she would find her busty friend right behind her. She wasn't even surprised to see the white-dragon like monster hovering above her. She just looked at Mai and shook her head in disbelief. _I can't believe what's happening right now... So we're not alone... _

Natsuki was just as shocked about the whole scenario and almost forgot the drooling thing on her right. When Nao turned back to face her old friend, she finally remembered her powers.

"Okay, I guess there's no need in hiding anymore. Julia!" The spider-scorpion shot out of a tree and plunged its stench into the squashy flesh of the monster next to Natsuki, pinning it down to earth. They were both used to their fighting skills and the raven-haired girl didn't hesitate for a second.

"Duran! Load Silver Cartridge! Fire!"

Green sparkles falling down in the night air was all that was left of the nasty beast now. Nao feared the awkward silence after the discovery of their friends having super-powers, but Mikoto didn't hesitate to babble away.

"So, Nao and Natsuki are HiME too." She happily said. "Isn't that great, Mai?"

Mai gave her a worried smile while approaching the two shocked girls.

"I am sorry that you were drawn into that fight," she said apologetically. "But thanks for helping us out."

"Nevermind. We were here for the same reason," Natsuki answered distant as ever.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Nao looked at Mai with resentment.

"Well, you didn't tell us either."

"True...," she answered.

"Plus, we thought we need to protect you since Natsuki was in the infirmary this morning... We figured it might have been an Orphan attack." Mai continued.

"It wasn't," Natsuki tugged in.

"We always thought we were alone." Nao was looking at her raven-haired friend with worried eyes.

"Alone?" Mikoto started to giggle. Natsuki and Nao faced her full of suspicion.

"You can come out Yukino. The monsters are defeated, we don't need your cover anymore."

Suddenly their surroundings seem to change as if an invisible wall was removed and a girl with mahogany hair and glasses came out of nowhere.

"These are our friends, Nao Yuuki and Natsuki Kuga." Mai explained. "Natsuki, Nao this is Yukino Kikukawa."

"Pleased to meet you," the strange girl said shyly.

"So, she covered up the whole battlefield?" Natsuki assumed.

"Wait, does that mean she is a HiME too?" Nao said almost annoyed. "Really now, give me a break. For years I have thought we were alone in this and now we're already five?"

"There are more..." Mikoto tossed in.

"More?" Natsuki and Nao asked in union.

"Yes. We will tell you about that some other time. For now, it's better if we go to bed or otherwise we probably all collapse in the morning." Mai winked at Natsuki, who just furrowed her brow under the comment.

All of them knew that the red-head was right and started walking back to the dormitory.

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><p><strong>AN:** Okay, the story starts to unfold and we still don't know what happened in the rose garden afterwards. It will be revealed in the next chapter though. Unfortunately, I have exams coming up and need to study. This accounting stuff really cracks me up. So, the next chapter will take a little longer than usual. Please bear with me, will ya? ;-) Be nice and review


	10. Wrong

"_**I believe I'll find a better place to fall asleep. Maybe she will save me in the oceans of her dream, maybe someday long.**__**"**_

**Disclaimer: Mai HiME is still property of Sunrise, although they don't do anything with this right anymore -.-**

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><p><strong>Chapter 10: Wrong<strong>

The clouds had silently vanished within the later hours of the night. The moon now illuminated the otherwise dark room through the wide-open window. Two pairs of green eyes were staring at the ceiling where the shadows of the wafting trees formed abstract shapes, dancing along the wild rhythm of the nightly breeze. Although the girls had said their goodnights a while ago none of them was sleeping by now. But being completely wrapped up in thoughts, they didn't bother speak a word.

Eventually, the sleep-loss forced the raven-haired girl to let go of the question marks in her head and pulled her into the arms of a much needed slumber. The changing of breathing did not go unnoticed by her pink-haired friend. Nao turned her head a bit to get a glimpse of the sleeping figure of her new roommate. The moon was giving away half of the pale face that seemed to be made out of porcelain.

_So, you are exhausted after all... But you would never admit that to anyone, right? Always the strong and independent girl... I'm somewhat glad though... Glad to know what kind of person hides behind the strong façade. You're strong, that's true but you're also very vulnerable. I've seen the scars and bruises on your body... I hope that someday you'll let me know where you got all these from. But I won't question you by now. I am not ready to lose you again..._

Natsuki sighed in her sleep and turned her face a bit. It was now fully visible in the dim moonlight.m_So beautiful..._ Nao couldn't help her thoughts. It felt awkward and she didn't know why she always had to think of her older friend as such a sight for sore eyes but something deep inside seemed to be off ever since she stumbled into the black-haired girl a few days ago. Thinking of the funny image in the hallway, a smile crossed her lips. _What a weird way to meet after such a long time... Falling on top of her was probably the best coincidence that happened during the last years. _Her face suddenly got a bit serious when her mind started to dig deeper._ Falling on top of her... Falling... _Again her eyes wandered to the now fully visible face of Natsuki. Nao's eyes were tracing along the line of the older girl's cheekbone, stopping instinctively at the rosy lips. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears. The silence and the soft white moonlight framed a perfect picture of serenity. With time her eyelids became heavy and when she just entered the strange area of 'almost-asleep' her eyes suddenly shot open again by hearing the muffled screams of her roommate. She was on her feet within a second, directly jumping at the side of the raven-haired girl's bed, who was wildly tossing and turning. Nao could tell that Natsuki must have a nightmare and figured that she had to wake the poor girl. Furrowing her brow as if being in pain, Natsuki was mumbling some unconnected syllables.

"Stay..." and "...can't be real..." was all that Nao could make out from the sounds. When she was just about to reach out for face of the older girl to calm her and tear her out of her nightmare, Natsuki suddenly screamed.

"SHIZURU! NO!"

Nao, being shocked to the bone, pulled her hand back in an instant.

_Shizuru? Who the hell is Shizuru? She can't possibly mean that new stuck-up Kaichou Fujino..._

But before she could give it a second thought, she was torn out of her thoughts by the heavy struggling in front of her. She finally grabbed Natsuki at her shoulders and started to shake her softly back and forth.

"Natsuki," she whispered. "Wake up, you're having a nightmare."

At first, it didn't seem to work at all, but when she shook a bit harder her best friend slowly found her way back into reality.

"Huh? What happened?" The raven-haired girl blinked at her with tired eyes, obviously not knowing what was going on.

"Hush. It's okay. You had a nightmare." Nao said, while placing her hand at Natsuki's cheek.

The older girl shrugged under the contact but soon relaxed, when she realized it was her childhood friend. It took a while to fully understand her surroundings, but the sight of Nao helped her to believe that this was at least somehow real.

"Ne, Natsuki..." The younger one started with a low voice.

"What is it?" came the irritated response.

Nao was still kneeling in front of Natsuki's bed, not sure if she should go back into her own or just stay there a little longer.

"Nothing. I go back to sleep then."

Natsuki turned away facing the ceiling, saying nothing at all and so Nao stood up and walked back into the direction of her bed.

"I think they're back..." Natsuki suddenly said to Nao's back.

"Who?" The pink-haired one didn't turn around as she whispered into the night air.

"The nightmares... " The black-haired one said, sounding a little flustered.

Nao still didn't turn around. She just stood very still and waited for her friend to go on, which Natsuki eventually did.

"I mean, I am not sure since this was the first one I've had in a very long time, but it felt exactly like the nightmares I had back in the Orphanage. You could almost say it feels somehow... nostalgic."

The girl with the lime-green eyes remained silent when she turned around and started walking towards the bed again. She made gesture with her hand that Natsuki didn't really understand at first.

"Move," Nao suddenly said to make clear what she meant.

"Huh?"

"You understood me just fine."

"You gotta be kidding me." Natsuki was obviously taken aback. "No fucking way."

"Oh come on you little sissy. You can't afford to waste anymore sleep and if I remember correctly this always helped you falling asleep quickly after you had one of your nightmares."

"We were kids! I am sixteen now."

"And still having the same nightmares... So it shouldn't make a difference."

Natsuki just huffed and crossed her arms and so Nao went on.

"You have to admit it... you're a cuddle-bear after all. Always the cute little puppy." Nao just couldn't resist teasing her precious friend. She knew that it would ease the mood.

"Am not..." Natsuki responded with her sweetest pouting face.

"So?" Nao said in a bold voice while coming closer with her face.

"Fine!" was the grumbled answer before the older girl made room by turning away, bringing herself as far away from the edge of the bed as she could, her face only inches away from the wall.

Nao slid under the sheets and didn't waste any more time on words or thoughts. She just instinctively encircled the waist of the raven-haired girl and pulled her close. A burning heat instantly started to ignite when their bodies met and their hearts started to beat in the same wild rhythm. The pink-haired girl could feel that her older friend stiffened right away but she also didn't want to let go. She just hoped that Natsuki would relax after she got used to the sudden closeness and as soon as the heat started to fade the older girl calmed down a bit. Nao was overly thankful that they had decided to leave the window open to catch some of the fresh night air. Otherwise she would have possibly melted under the radiating heat. But now, she had her hand comfortably rested on Natsuki's abdomen and was more than amazed about the muscles she could feel.

"Someone sure has been working out lately," she said while slowly moving her fingers up and down.

Natsuki panted slightly under the teasing before she started to growl at her.

"Oi! It's one thing to force me into sleeping in one bed with another girl, but it's another to actually take advantage of my kindness!"

"Sorry, my bad. I thought you would like it." Nao grinned.

"What?!" Natsuki shot up into a seating position. "You better go back to your bed!"

"Relax. I was joking." She pulled her friend back onto the mattress, lying face to face now. She could see that she had crossed the line and sighed. "I'm sorry."

Natsuki just huffed, stating that she was still mad.

"I really didn't mean to upset you. What I said is true though. Your muscles are quite impressive." Nao bluntly stated.

The older girl was still pouting but her face relaxed a bit under the compliment. Nao brought her hand up to Natsuki's face but the older girl shrugged again.

"What? Am I not allowed touching you anymore?"

"I don't know if it's appropriate... We aren't kids anymore." The respond sounded a bit embarrassed.

"What? Who told you that nonsense?"

Natsuki suddenly avoided the eye-contact.

"Look at me Natsuki." She cupped the face of the raven-haired one. "It's okay. You had a nightmare and I am here to comfort you... as your friend. You're not alone anymore. I know it has been quite a while, but I am still as comfortable around you as ever." She made a pause and slowly stroke through Natsuki's black strands. "Does it feel wrong?"

Natsuki slightly shook her head.

"See." Nao smiled and embraced her childhood-friend. "You don't have to put on an act around me... By the way... I've missed you a lot." She whispered and to her amazement Natsuki buried her face into Nao's hair as a silent reply.

"But don't think this will become a habit." Natsuki suddenly said in a defending voice.

"Of course not." Nao instantly responded. _Blunt lie! Hihi... _After a few minutes of just comfortably listening to the breathing of her older friend, Nao couldn't help but asking the one question that was burning on her mind.

"Care to tell me about that Shizuru-person, who haunts you in your dreams?"

Natsuki brought up her head and looked at her younger friends with puzzled eyes.

"You were screaming her name during your nightmare."

"Was I?" The raven-haired girl seemed to be completely confused. _So, she was the person in my dream... I only vaguely remember some images. It felt so real. As if I had been really there. _

Nao nodded back becoming even more suspicious when she saw how hard Natsuki was thinking and the raven-haired girl eventually noticed the questioning look of her younger friend.

"I only met her this morning. I believe she was the one who took me to the infirmary. I'm still not sure though, since I was unconscious."

"Okay now, what happened this morning?" Nao was a bit too serious now and Natsuki decided it was for the best to tell her about her morning meeting.

"Fine. I had an appointment with an old friend this morning for getting my bike back. That you already know." She made a short pause. "And on my way back I got somehow lost in the woods, tumbling into this amazing place full of flowers." Her eyes were sparkling by thinking back of the image and Nao didn't know what to make out of it.

"The rose garden," she assumed.

"I guess so. That's where I met her."

"So, you really meant that Fujino-girl." Nao was a bit shocked about Natsuki's story.

"Yeah, I think she said her name is Shizuru Fujino. You know her? Is she a friend of yours?"

"Are you nuts? I would never be friends with such a stuck-up bitch. Especially not now, when she just became the new student-council president," the pink-haired girl said harshly.

"Student-council president... She didn't seem stuck-up at all...," Natsuki replied.

"Well, good for you." Nao's voice had become quite annoyed.

"Oi, what's wrong all of a sudden?"

"Nothing. I just don't like rich girls like her, living a perfect life in a huge house with caring parents. Their family has enough money to buy the whole academy and she always acts without flaws. She has an enormous fan club following her around and is never too busy to give a smile to everyone."

"Really? She was all alone when I met her..." _Silently crushing flowers, while feeling unobserved._

Nao again noticed that Natsuki was deep in thoughts and somehow it bugged her.

"She must have left quite an impression on you if you're already dreaming of her," she said in a sharp voice.

"What's your problem? First of all, it was a nightmare and second, I don't have control over my dreams. If I had, I would make them disappear." Natsuki replied just as coldly, not getting the mood of her younger friend at all.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm just a bit mad at myself for not being there when you passed out but that carefree and perfect Kaichou."

"I actually don't think that she's carefree." Natsuki said in an unreadable voice.

"Why? What did she tell you?" Nao was getting slightly upset again.

"Nothing. I guess... I am just intrigued... "

"Intrigued?" Silence filled the room. "Intrigued by what?" The pink-haired girl looked at her black-haired friend with hard eyes.

"Intrigued by her."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I know this was supposed to explain what happened in the rose garden but somehow I got caught up in this moment and so I had to postpone the Shizuru with passed-out Natsuki rose garden scene to the next chapter. Be nice and don't hate me for it^^


	11. Stay

"_**I can hurt myself just for you. I can forget myself just for you. That's how much I love and care for you as a friend. Just wonder how much more I'll love you in case you were mine. "**_

**Disclaimer: Sunrise is the ruler of Mai HiME universe and I am nothing but a fangirl...and a fanfic writer of course  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 11: Stay<strong>

"Grrrr!"

"Don't you 'Grrrr' me in the morning. I told you I didn't do anything. You practically kept crawling onto me."

"You wish!" the raven-haired girl growled back while stamping up and down the apartment. She was snorting angrily from time to time to make clear that this conversation was over. The lime-eyed girl gave in with a sigh while she was busy gathering her things for morning class.

"See you later grumpy-head," was the last thing Nao said before she rushed out of the room, leaving the other girl all alone in the middle of her morning chaos.

Natsuki had no idea how to be at the classroom on time when she wasn't even able to find that one special piece of lingerie she had been searching for the whole morning. Since Nao couldn't stop making ambiguous comments about her current choice of panties, Natsuki got obsessed with the idea of wearing her favorite piece of lingerie instead. Now that her mind was already set, she couldn't just go with this boring black panty she wore for sleeping. The emerald-eyed girl never was too much of a morning person but today was even worse.

_And all thanks to that tricky little moron! If she hadn't forced me into sleeping with her... WAIT! This sounds so wrong! Brain, you need to watch your tongue... But then you don't have a tongue and... OH! Shut the hell up, I won't make it ever if I keep on being schizophrenic. _

"There it is!" she said into the emptiness of the room, feeling slightly psychotic. She put on the red piece of underwear and took one final glimpse in the mirror before she got fully dressed.

_What's wrong with that annoying girl to mock me in such strange ways?_

The image of this morning's wake-up call shot back into her head and let the color of her cheeks match that of her underwear.

Earlier this morning the alert had gone off and a very tired Natsuki slowly had attempted to find her way back to world of the living. But instead of having the sun tickling her face, the first thing her sleepy eyes had been able to see were the mischievous grin of a certain pink-haired girl. Taking in her surrounding one by one, Natsuki slowly realized the oddness of her current position. Her body was practically entangled with the younger girl's. All sheets had been struggled down being quite the contrary to her shirt and if that wasn't enough, she couldn't help but jumping up in panic, screaming like a little girl before covering her body with all kind of sheets she could find at the moment. Natsuki had no idea how on earth she ended up in such an embarrassing position. She couldn't imagine that she would deliberately encircle the waist of her childhood friend during her sleep and even worse to have her leg wrapped around the rest of Nao's body. Of course to top things off, she had fuddled the sheets away so that her black panties were quite the eyesight for the rest of the world, which in this case was Nao. She could clearly hear the mocking comment of her childhood friend in her head even now.

_She must have somehow tricked me into this. That's just so like her... _Still angry, she stuffed the rest of her things in her bag and left for school.

To her amazement classes went smoothly and she didn't stand out negatively at all for the whole day and when the school-bell rang, Natsuki was the first one who left the building. Hurrying to her special hiding spot in the woods, she was eagerly jumping on her much missed bike.

Ever since she had seen the cloudless sky this morning her thoughts had been drifting off to her motorcycle. She still had to catch up a lot of miles after two months of hiatus from the beloved vehicle.

Her thoughts were occupied with last night's encounter and she knew that they needed to get some answers.

_HiME... What are we? How many of us are out there? I never bothered with such things before I came here. Really now, this school is freaking me out. But everything's better than these fake parents... At least I could release my anger in the battles. I just had my powers and fought those Orphans. Nothing more than that, and now... Girls with super-powers seem to pop up out of nowhere. There has to be more to it than simply fighting these monsters. I need to gather some information._

The roar of the engine blew her mind free in an instant and left nothing but a trail of dust behind. Once she hit the main road it didn't take long until her subconscious took the lead and steered.

In the Fujino-Residence outside of the city of Fuuka Shizuru had locked herself into her room.

_This can't be real... None of it..._

"Ojou-sama, you need to get ready. The driver is already waiting for you and your father would be very mad if you run late." The voice of her maid tore her out of her thoughts. The words were barely audible through the wooden door that sealed her away in her so called home, but still, she had understood every last word of it. Although Shizuru had never regarded this huge room as a comfortable place for a sixteen year old girl and therefore, she couldn't bring herself to think of it as home.

_I don't even know what home feels like. I could as well just live in the dorms like the other boarding-students. But of course my father would never allow me to... 'That's not suitable for a Fujino!' he would probably say. _She led out a sigh._ And even the school wouldn't let me. The rules are pretty strict. They only allow students without parents or those who live too far away to live in the dormitory._

The knocking started again, now a little fiercer than before for making clear that time was running out and Shizuru knew that she had to obey but still she couldn't bring herself to answer. Her body just wouldn't move as she leaned against the frame of the big window, which was covering the wall next to her bed almost from the top to the bottom. While she thought of a way to get out of the upcoming appointment, her hands were unconsciously fumbling with the thick purple satin-curtains that were usually blocking the light from her room.

"Shizuru-sama, I am really sorry for interrupting, but if you don't come out I have to inform your father." There was a short pause. "It was a direct order from him."

_Fine!_

"I'm almost ready. I'll be there in a second." Her voice was as clam as ever. The crimson-eyed girl lowered gaze and saw her hands clenching the curtains. She wanted to rip the illusion that was surrounding her, apart.

_I can't even feel pain... So everything had been a lie... I was so stupid to believe that it would change anything._

'It will eventually... just be patient a little longer...' The hissing voice from the other day was suddenly back in her head and her heart started to pound heavily when she swirled around to look for the intruder. Her eyes narrowed down every shadow in the room but nobody was there.

_Maybe I'm becoming crazy, or maybe it really is true... Either way, I need to go or father will freak out again._

Her maid Touku and the driver remained silent while the driver carefully maneuvered the car through the serpentines of the cliffs along the coastline. And Shizuru was thankful for that. It allowed her to have some time for herself. Despite the destination, she had to say that she enjoyed the ride. It was one of the rare occasions where she felt like having some privacy. Her gaze drifted off and got lost in the endless blue of the ocean. The clouds that had been covering the sun for the last hours slowly started to fade and eventually some rays were able to break through. Once they hit the calm surface of the sea the light was exploding into a million glistening crystals that were blending the eyes of the Kyoto-beauty. She had to blink several times before she got used to the sudden illumination. And just when she felt comfortable looking at the ocean again the view was blocked by the top of a huge cliff that was standing out in the ocean like an observation platform. When she took a closer look, she suddenly gasped. She wasn't really sure if she could believe her eyes. A slender figure with long black-hair was standing at the edge of the cliff facing the sea. When the limousine passed by, Shizuru tried to take in as much of the scenery as she could.

_It can't be her, can it?_

She wasn't sure but something told her that this wasn't a coincidence.

"Stop the car, please," Shizuru suddenly said.

The driver and her maid Touku just looked at her with shocked eyes.

"Ojou-sama, we're already late. We don't have..."

"I said: Stop the car!" Her voice became unusually emotional, which caused the driver to hit the brake stronger than needed.

Shizuru reached out for the door when Touko grabbed her by the hand out of nowhere. The crimson-eyes of the Kyoto-beauty got wide under the sudden contact.

"My apologies Shizuru-sama, I know it's inappropriate but you can't abandon the appointment," she said in a sad but serious voice.

Shizuru could only look at her maid in amazement and so she went on. "I know that you don't desire any of this and I know that you don't love this Kanzaki-person, but your farther wishes for it to happen and if you don't go to the announcement-ceremony of your engagement today, he might completely snap and disinherit you." The concern was clearly audible in her voice and for the first time Shizuru could see that Touko saw more in her then just the daughter of the man she worked for.

Shizuru gave her one of her true smiles and the maid was taken aback by the honesty of the crimson-eyed beauty.

"Touku, I am very grateful to have such an astonishing person like you as my maid. You've always been by my side." She could see that her words got to the heart of the older woman. "You are a good friend and I know that you just want the best for me. And that's why I have to leave right now."

Shizuru got out of the car neither being hindered by her maid nor the driver. After Shizuru started to walk towards the cliff, Touko ordered the driver to make their way back to the Fujino-Mansion.

_Then he might as well just disinherit me..._

Her thoughts were brave for now, but Shizuru knew she would have to face hard consequences on that matter when she got home.

_If I get home..._

Shizuru slowly made her way towards the edge, careful to not make too much noise, but the sound of the waves crashing against the cliffs was loud enough to conceal her steps.

_Now that I give second thought to it, I have to admit it will seem rather odd to suddenly approach her from behind as if I had just been in the area. We are on a cliff at the road to Fuuka and I don't even have a car with me... How did she get here anyway? _And just when Shizuru had thought of this, she suddenly noticed the black motorcycle near the barrier._ Motorcycle, huh? Now I hope that it really is her. _She couldn't suppress an ambiguous grin on that matter and when she came closer she saw that the girl was indeed wearing a biker suit. That fitted her almost too perfectly. Being so close, she was certain that it was her strange encounter from the other day.

_Really... who is this girl... standing all alone on a cliff in a biker suit...? I have to admit I'm rather interested in you... Kuga Natsuki... _

"Nice view, isn't it?"

Natsuki recognized the distinct accent in an instant.

"You seem to enjoy popping up out of nowhere in uncommon places," she replied without turning around, but didn't comment on Shizuru's appearance at such a place. The chestnut-haired woman couldn't help but answering in her usual nonchalant way.

"Same goes for you I guess. I hope you're not going to faint this time. It would be a lot more difficult here to catch your fall."

Natsuki's head suddenly shot around. Her emerald eyes locked with the crimson ones right away._ Catch my fall... _The words echoed in Natsuki's ears and the strange feeling from last time started to build up again. Shizuru nearly gulped under the piercing gaze and again her heart seemed to skip a beat. After a few second she could sense the uneasiness from the other girl and decided to let it go.

"Anyhow, it's good to see that you're feeling well again."

Natsuki said nothing. She just turned her head back towards the ocean. The sun was on its way to fade into the horizon and the wind slowly disappeared.

"Ne Shizuru..."

The chestnut-haired girl didn't know why, but hearing Natsuki saying her name in such a serious and sad way sounded so strangely familiar that she couldn't help but feeling as if she had known her for a very long time. It was like the feeling of rediscovering something she had completely forgotten about for a long time. Only that in this case no memories came back but the feeling of rediscovering something precious. Not knowing what to make of her weird feelings towards the mysterious girl, she just looked at her with expectant eyes.

Natsuki inhaled the salty air once more before voicing the rest of her thoughts.

"...what happened when I passed out?"

Shizuru's eyes got wide for a second before she composed herself again, smiling at the younger girl flawlessly.

_There you go again with your fake smiles..._, Natsuki thought but said nothing.

"I brought you to the school nurse," she said and was instantly pierced with a suspicious glance of the two emerald orbs. Shizuru knew she had to get out of this situation somehow before it would become difficult. She couldn't afford to let this girl know what really happened.

"Of course, I tried to wake you up in fairy-tale style, but Natsuki was a rather sleepy princess." The words were spoken in such an alluring sing-song, so that it took the younger girl quite a while before getting to the core of it. But as soon as she had figured out the meaning, the heat started to burn her cheeks to ashes and Shizuru couldn't help but giggle over the cute reaction.

_She can be really adorable. Teasing her sure is funnier than I thought. I thought she would snap or punch me in the face but it seems she much softer than it appears._

"Ara ara, is Natsuki embarrassed because she would have preferred to be the prince?" _Kannin na, Natsuki but this is too cute plus it helps me distracting you..._

"Shizuru!"

The Kyoto-girl smiled warmly at Natsuki, who could see that this time the smile was different.

_So finally you let down your guard a bit. This kind of smile is way more beautiful anyway... _

The sun descended into the upcoming night and so did Natsuki's blush. After a while of observing the aftermaths of the sunset she turned around and started walking towards her bike.

"Where are you going?" Shizuru asked a bit irritated about the sudden leave.

"Back to the dorms. We need to be there before it gets dark."

"I see..." She tried to hide the sadness in her voice, but somehow she couldn't conceal all of it and Natsuki could easily grasp the disappointment.

"Aren't you going home too?"

"I..." And for the first time Shizuru was at a loss of words. Until now, she had avoided to think about the consequences of her escape but now everything came back to her with full force.

"How did you get here anyway?" Natsuki suddenly asked.

The Kyoto-girl still thought of a way to get out of the situation without making a fool of herself but her brain was not very helpful on that matter.

_I have no idea how to explain this to her... Telling the truth doesn't seem like an option here... Should I say something like: Oh hey, I was about to announce my engagement to the vice-president of the student-council, even if I am just seventeen years old and have no feelings towards this guy at all. But then I saw you standing on the cliff and abandoned all of my responsibilities and duties for a girl that I barely know without having a particular reason. By the way the biker-suit looks hot... _

_Okay even if I cut that last sentence out, I couldn't do it. Do I really have to lie to her about so many things...? I've just met her twice... I can't tell her what really happened in the rose garden either..._

Since the chestnut-haired woman didn't answer any of the questions, Natsuki figured that something must be wrong.

_Normally, she would give me some of her fake smiles and make up a perfect explanation but it seems this time I caught her off guard... I shouldn't bother about her reasons but somehow I can't just turn around and leave. Even if Nao says she's a spoilt and arrogant person I cannot overlook that something about her is off. She acts almost flawlessly but then she's secretly crushing flowers on her own and appearing at a place like this without any explanation at all. Nao told me she lives with her parents, so why isn't she calling someone to pick her up? I don't know what's up with her but I can't leave her here all by herself. Not when I know what kind of monsters are lurking around at night._

"I could give you ride," she finally said.

The crimson-eyed girl gave Natsuki a confused look and somehow the raven-haired girl could read in them that Shizuru would like to take the offer but didn't know where to go.

_Nao will hate me for this..._

"Listen, I know it's not my business, but if you need a place to stay for tonight, you can sleep over at my room." Natsuki didn't look up when she stated the offer. She was busy fumbling with her helmet while she got on her bike.

Shizuru was still standing at the edge saying nothing at all. After a few seconds of deliberating, the crimson-eyed girl suddenly came over and seated herself on the motorcycle.

"Thank you, Natsuki."

Natsuki finally dared to look at the Kyoto beauty and was awarded with another genuine smile. She couldn't help but blushing a bit again and she could feel that Shizuru had to fight down the giggling. A little angry about herself, Natsuki started the engine.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Okay, I know...I still didn't get to the point and it took three chapters but believe me...now..finally in the next chapter I will tell you what happened in the rose garden. I already started writing, so that I don't get any other situations and ideas pop up in my head. I will entwine the rose garden story within the plot of the next chapter because we also have the sleep-over scene. I am sure Nao will be delighted to have Shizuru in their room and OMG there are only two beds...I wonder...


	12. Haze

_**"It seems a little sad that I was the girl whose only purpose was to help you find out who you're really in love with."**_

**Disclaimer: Mai HiME belongs to Sunrise. Although it should belong with me.  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 12: Haze<strong>

As soon as Shizuru encircled her waist from behind Natsuki stiffened. The hands of the older girl seem to burn right through the leather of her suit and her brain started hurting again.

_Damn! What is this? Every time I am with her... It's almost like she's some kind of trigger._

Suddenly pictures started to form in her mind's eye, matching the atmosphere of her nightmares almost too perfectly. There was something that looked like an empty room but when she concentrated she could see that it only seemed empty because all the walls where white and cushioned. She could see a figure sitting in the corner with legs drawn up and head buried in their arms. Everything was blurry and so she couldn't make out any details. Suddenly the figure's head shot up and let out a barbaric scream. The terrifying sound was ringing in hear ears. Natsuki's brain shut down as soon as she realized who the figure was. At first she didn't know if it was a boy or a girl but then she was confronted with something she would have rather not recognized. The scream had unmistakably been her voice. She didn't want to believe what she saw and heard inside her head but she knew. Deep inside, she could feel that she wasn't mistaken. Seeing herself sitting in this room wearing a straitjacket and screaming like a maniac wasn't something she could so easily comprehend. And although she didn't know what it meant and why these pictures were in her head, she was sure that to some extent the girl behind her was sort of a catalyst for all the weird stuff that was happening to her lately.

Shizuru could feel Natsuki's muscles tense up and was a bit afraid that the younger girl might pass out again just like in the rose garden.

* * *

><p>'Natsuki!' Shizuru was almost screaming before she started running towards the unconscious girl. Shaking her back and forth wasn't of any use and she feared that she might need some help. She had no idea why this had happened. The other girl wasn't even pale before passing out and so she was afraid that something serious was causing the collapse. She frantically started searching for her phone while flashing worried glances to the still passed-out student. Just when she was about to call an ambulance, a huge gust of wind blow up the countless rose peddles from the bottom and left her almost blind. The happening even seemed to cover the sun, judging from the darkness that was suddenly engulfing the place. When Shizuru looked at her cell again, she wasn't able to get a signal anymore. The diminished light has gotten completely lost within a few seconds and after what seemed like an eternity, the blossoms finally started to slowly dissolve. Her eyes wandered back to the direction where the other girl had collapsed. Said girl was in fact still lying there but something was utterly different. An enormous shadow, that she was pretty sure of wasn't there before, perilously hovered over Natsuki's limp body. Shizuru had to blink twice before her eyes could convince her brain that they were indeed sending the right signal into her head and after she realized that this was the real deal, her heart started to pump much more blood than needed into her brain. She could feel the adrenaline rushing through her veins which caused her extremities to shiver uncontrollably. Her lifelong training in the material Art of Naginata came to her mind but of course she didn't carry her weapon around and even if that would have been the case she doubted that it would be of any use against this mystical dark haze. Shizuru could have sworn that she hadn't even blinked but suddenly the hovering demon had changed its form to something that looked almost reptilian. She was still glued to the spot when the monster opened its sharp mouth to present a whole lot of metal-sharp teeth. Only now, she started to get the idea that its aim was not herself but the unconscious girl to its feet.<p>

'NOOOO!'

The word escaped Shizuru's mouth without even noticing but they seemed to trigger another unbelievable event that amazed her all the more. The beast actually held in as if it could understand her. But only a moment later, she saw the true reason of the odd behaving. A white-haired boy was standing right behind the evil looking thing with his hand up high in a commanding manner. The crimson-eyed girl didn't know why but she somehow got the feeling that he was controlling the devilish shadow. She decided to watch the scenery just a tad longer to see if the boy would approach her in any way and to her surprise she didn't have to wait long.

"Nice to meet you, Shizuru-san."

_Why does he know my name? Well, I shouldn't be too suspicious about that. It's not quite difficult to look it up since I'm the new student-council president. What worries me more is that a huge monster seems to be some kind of marionette to him._

Shizuru tried to act as calm and collected as she could. As long as the beast had its claws within the range of the raven-haired girl, she had no intention of tempting him.

"May I ask who you are?" she said but corrected herself in the next moment. "Let me rephrase this. I meant what are you?"

"My my, Kaichou-sama why so formal?" He grinned evilly. "Nagi is the name."

"Nagi?" Shizuru whispered.

"Doesn't ring a bell, does it?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"I'm afraid not. Is this some kind of pet of yours?" She pointed towards the odd looking creature.

"For now, I'd say yes but not much longer I believe."

"Excuse me?"

"It means that it's time for you to wake up."

"Talking in riddles, aren't you? Is this a hobby of yours?"

"I guess, you could say that. For now, just bear with the information that you are a HiME and that you are here to fight these things called Orphans." The monster let out a hiss and Shizuru had to fight down the loud pounding of her heart again.

"HiME?"

"The power to materialize highly-advanced equipment. Just concentrate and you'll see." He lowered his hand and the monster instantly started dashing towards her.

_This is probably the best thing that could have happened to me... I don't even have to do something to end this torture. I didn't think I would get out of this hopeless situation so easily. _

The chestnut-haired girl took a relaxed position and closed her eyes waiting for the monster to rip her apart.

"What's that?" Nagi whispered to himself before stopping the monster anew. "You are supposed to fight back, Shizuru-san."

"I have no desire to do as you wish," she replied in a strong voice. "I'm doing nothing than willingly obey everything that's asked of me...," she continued almost audible.

"Huh? I see. So, you're actually happily awaiting your death."

"Yes," dhe said without a hint of emotions.

"You'll leave me no choice then." He snipped with his fingers. "Although this might be too early..." His voice was so low that Shizuru couldn't understand the last words but before she could even think about the meaning of the cryptic mention, she was hit by a sudden wave of pain that seemed to make her head explode. "This should be enough to rekindle your desire to live my stubborn princess."

Shizuru couldn't hear a thing and when she closed her eyes in agony, a blurry image started to manifest. Two figures, entangled into a fiery kiss, emerged from the blackness of her mind. One of them was obviously herself but the other one was still unrecognizable. It took her a few more seconds of this unbearable pain to blend out the silhouette for getting a glimpse of the details. In the very second she realized that it was none other than the girl she had just met in the garden, the image disappeared along with all the pain. Her eyes shot open and the monster, which had already built itself up in front of her, let out another hiss before swirling around to run towards his owner. Only when Nagi vanished, she realized that the creature was not running back to the weirdo, but was on its way to attack the unconscious girl.

'Natsuki!' Her scream echoed through the garden, followed by a sudden burst of light. Something that looked a bit like a large naginata suddenly appeared out of nowhere remained static in the air. The beast already had its fangs over the raven-haired girl's head when Shizuru snapped out of her thoughts. She grabbed the naginata and sped towards the reptile, the image of herself and this strange girl kissing each other was still in her head when she lunged for her first strike. But before she was able to land a hit she was chocked-off by a voice that seemed to be coming straight from her head. When the monster turned around to lock its devilish red eyes with the crimson ones, Shizuru knew that words were coming from her opponent.

'You don't have to fight me. I can help you.' Every syllable was underlined with a devious hissing sound.

'Why would I believe such ridiculous words, coming from a monster that is about to eat an unconscious girl alive?' she answered only with her thoughts, quite sure that the beast would understand her just fine.

'Because I know about pain. I know about your desires. I know everything about you.' The hissing continued and a mere war of thoughts started, while their gazes remained locked.

'What would you know about my desires? In fact there is nothing I wish for.'

'A second ago, you would have been willingly defeated by me because you're sick of your life. You're sick of obeying your father's orders. But when I attacked this girl, you suddenly were able to activate your true power. You are capable of things you don't even know by now. You can't defeat me. I am already too strong.' The beast came closer while digging itself deeper into Shizuru's mind, spreading its words like venom." Trust me, and I will spare her life. I will even help you out with that Kanzaki-problem."

"How do you..."

"Shhh... It doesn't matter. Just trust me and what you truly wish for will come true."

"What's the price?"

"Your life." The thing hissed inside her head.

"I was already willing to be killed you what's the matter in stating all this nonsense when you could have already killed me?"

"I didn't say taking your life... " The hissing stopped for a second. "Just take it as it is and neither you nor your precious Natsuki will get harmed. Just give in to your desires."

_Precious..._

Shizuru wanted to close her eyes to weight out her options but for some reason she couldn't tear them away from the flaming orbs. Without even noticing the monster had enwrapped her body and her thoughts seemed to melt with the hissing sounds in her head. Completely distracted, she was only able to mutter the word 'fine' and with that the voice in her head was gone. When she snapped out of the dream-like scenario her vision got clear for a few seconds only to go black again moments later. The last thing she saw was a purple octopus-like body with five snake-headed tentacles that were encircling Natsuki's and her body.

After she woke up in her bed, she first thought that it was all a bad dream but a call at the school ensured her that a raven-haired girl was brought to the infirmary by her. Although she couldn't remember taking Natsuki to the school nurse, she didn't bother to make sure that the other girl was alright. She was terrified over her memory-loss and the events she had seen or experienced and she thought it would be best to stay away from the possible observer of nightmarish scenario. The image of the kiss with this stranger was just as disturbing as the huge monster that seemed to be able to use some kind of telepathy. And so she decided to ignore it as long as she could, which wasn't very long...

* * *

><p>Natsuki carefully maneuvered the bike through the serpentines. When they arrived at the dormitory, she led Shizuru the way to her room. She didn't say much since her thoughts were pretty occupied with the disturbing images and the thought of Nao's reaction to the unexpected guest and so the chestnut-haired girl finally broke the silence.<p>

"Is it really okay?" _I could have asked this a bit earlier... I guess now it's too late to make my leave and go home for facing my death penalty._

"Sure. I just need to speak with my roommate first. Can you wait here for a second?" Natsuki's voice sounded a bit concerned, but Shizuru thought that she should better not interfere on that matter. But when Natsuki entered the room, she suddenly gave her the signal to follow her.

"It seems she's not home." The raven-haired girl sounded a bit worried.

"Oh, I thought you are supposed to be here before it gets dark." Shizuru said and looked outside the window to make sure that the daylight had already vanished.

"You're right." Natsuki replied while walking towards the window.

"Should we inform the supervisor?"

"Hm?" Natsuki said absent-mindedly. _Nao... where are you?_ "Let's just wait a bit longer. If she doesn't come back within the next hour, I'll go search for her. The supervisor will come anyway to check if someone is missing."

Shizuru didn't know what to reply. After all, she couldn't really figure out the raven-haired girl. But somehow it didn't drive her away. It was rather the opposite. An odd silence took place and the crimson-eyed started to feel a bit uncomfortable. Luckily, Natsuki snapped out of her reverie and tore herself away from the window finally.

"So, you're the new president of the student-council...," she said, trying to sound nonchalantly but after all she wasn't very good at small-talk.

"Oh, I thought you didn't know the other day. But yes, you're right."

"Well, I didn't, but my roommate told me." By mentioning her friend, Natsuki's gaze drifted off to the window again. Shizuru could see that the girl was worried and somehow she couldn't bear the sight.

"Ara, so Natsuki was thinking of me then. I'm so happy." Shizuru made her voice sound a lot more playful than needed to make sure Natsuki got the deal.

"Huh?!" Her head shot around before she was even able to realize the blush on her face. Shizuru couldn't help but smile.

"You enjoy making fun of other's don't you?" came the pouting response.

"No, only of you." She snickered. "Sorry, I couldn't help it." She made a slight pause, not sure if she should say the next sentence. "But you look so cute when you're embarrassed."

"I'm not embarrassed at all." Natsuki tried to defend herself, but had to admit that she wasn't sounding very convincing. "Anyhow, why did you run away?"

Shizuru couldn't hide her surprise. After all she wasn't used to such bluntness. Normally the people around her tend to act very reserved but this girl just barged into her thoughts with such unpleasant questions. Of course, she would usually lie to anyone, yet she wasn't sure if she shouldn't just tell her the truth. Luckily, the decision was postponed by quickly approaching footsteps in the corridor.

"Shit! This must be the supervisor." Natsuki rushed over to the Kyoto-girl and pinned her down on Nao's bed. Shizuru was so shocked that she couldn't conceal a blush, while the raven-haired beauty's face was only inches away from hers. For a slight second none of them dared to breath and only the turning of the doorknob tore them out of the oddness of the situation.

"Damn! Too late," Natsuki said angrily.

"What the hell is going on?" When Nao entered the apartment, her brain refused to believe what her eyes captured.

"Nao?" Natsuki's head shot around.

"Are you fucking crazy, woman?"

"Huh? Ummm, this?" She pointed at Shizuru. "It's not what it looks like."

"So, you're not going down on little Ms. Stranger in my bed?!" Nao's head was so red that Natsuki feared it might explode. "You're the worst, Kuga!"

"What?" Only now, Natsuki fully comprehend what it must have looked like to Nao. "Of course not! I thought something bad happened to you."

"Oh and so you got yourself some other girl?" Nao was still shouting at her.

"For god's sake, no." She approached Nao and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Calm down, okay? I thought you were the supervisor and I wanted them to believe that you're home, so that they don't get suspicious. Why are you so freaked out about this anyway?" Nao just lowered gaze and her cheeks got slightly red. Natsuki decided to let it go and lowered her voice, so that Shizuru couldn't hear her next words. "I thought you were in some serious trouble and I wanted to go looking for you after I had convinced the supervisor that everything's all right." Natsuki searched for lime eyes and when the orbs found each other, the pink-haired girl saw that her friend was stating the truth.

"Fine. But why did you bring her here in the first place?" She asked, her gaze drifting off to the girl in the bed. "And it would be a pleasure if you would get out of my bed! Now!"

"Kannin na. I was rather surprised myself. I didn't know Natsuki was so rash."

"Shiz... uru... " Natsuki turned her head back to the older girl and started blushing again. Nao couldn't bear the whole scenario a second longer.

_Already so familiar, aren't we, little Ms. Kaichou!_

"You two make me sick. I'm heading back to Mai and Mikoto." She turned around to make her leave.

"Stay." Natsuki grabbed her by the wrist. "I'm sorry. I wanted to talk about this with you first but you weren't here. Do you have minute?"

When Nao once more looked into the deep green eyes, she gave up all resistance and nodded.

"Well, I think I might wait outside then." Shizuru said before she stood up. When she was about to leave, loud knocks could be heard from the room next door.

"Shit! This time it's the supervisor for real." Natsuki looked at Nao and exchanged thoughts.

"A world of no!" Nao's voice got angry again.

"It's not that we have a choice."

"I hate you for this, Kuga Natsuki!"

"Here he comes!" Shizuru said, while taking a step back from the door.

"Go back into Nao's bed, Shizuru." Natsuki whispered while running towards hers.

"Huh?" Shizuru was completely baffled.

"Don't 'huh' me. Just get your ass moving, Ms Kaichou!" Nao said in a still unfriendly tone.

"Yes ma'am!" Shizuru winked at the pissed girl and jumped back into bed.

Nao silently followed her with a strong look of distress. "Move over!" she commanded and in the same second she entered the bed and turned off the lights, the supervisor knocked on the door.

"Room Check-up." He said when he entered the apartment.

"Kuga Natsuki?"

"Yes."

"Yuuki Nao?"

"Here."

"Very well. Have a good night." And after looking through the apartment for a few seconds he was gone.

"The hell I will..." Nao muttered to herself.

"So, Yuuki-san it is." Shizuru said politely, smiling at the pink-haired girl.

"Oh Jesus! Get the hell out of my bed!" She barked.

"Aww and here I was thinking the best was yet to come. I thought we would invite Natsuki to join us."

"What?!" Nao could feel the heat rising to her cheeks and she was furious about having to blush over some comment... _of this stuck-up Kaichou!_

_Huh, they're both quite alike. I wonder... _

"There is no 'we'. And if anybody drags her into anything that would be me!" Nao grunted.

_I see... Being very 'close friends' with your roommate... _

"Nobody does anything at all." Natsuki stated in a cold voice.

"So demanding..." Shizuru faked a pout.

"Really now... too much girls in one room. I wish this supervisor guy would have stayed." The raven-haired girl mumbled to no one in particular.

"I'm sure you can help us out with some male hormones, mutt." Nao replied still mad.

Natsuki sent and icy glance towards Both girls fell silent in an instant. "Fine. Matter solved. So, if you would follow me to the bathroom, Nao. I have something to talk about." Natsuki said and with another devastating glance she made clear that she would not allow any more ambiguous comments.

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><p><strong>AN:** I did it! Finally! I hope you like it. I wanted to ease the tension a bit with the 'fluff' at the end. They need to have some fun as long as they can...Btw I would love to get a bit more resonance. The last chapters got few reviews. So, if there are still people out there reading, show yourself ;-)


	13. Execution

"_**It is wrong to think that love comes from long companionship and persevering courtship. Love is the offspring of spiritual affinity and unless that affinity is created in a moment, it will not be created for years or even generations."**_

**Disclaimer: Oh how I've missed saying that Mai HiME doesn't belong to me but Sunrise.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 13 – Execution<strong>

The dorms were usually a serene place at night. Thanks to the curfew and the supervisors, the executive board was able to maintain the peace of the academy. At least they made it appear like this to the outer world and most of the students. The school rules simply stated that there was a curfew and that disobeying the rules would lead to expulsion. Since it was a private school most of the students stuck to the guidelines as they didn't want to disappoint their parents or taint their record. Of course, Mashiro Kazahana, director of the school and head of the Executive Committee, knew very well that certain students didn't go along with the scheme. She was the one who gave away scholarships and decided, who was suitable to join her school.

"How are thing's going with our newest scholarship member, Fumi-san?" The child-like director asked with a broken and delicate voice.

The maid serenely finished brewing a cup of tea before carefully approaching the steeled wheel-chair that was supporting the lilac-haired girl.

"She's done well in combat so far. Everything's going according to the plan." She said calmly with a voice that sounded much younger than anyone would assume regarding her appearance. "Here you go, Mashiro-sama. It's still a bit hot. So please be careful."

The director took a small sip and sighed.

"She better does. We don't have much time left."

"Will you send out more Orphans tonight?" Concern forced its way through the words of the woman with light pink hair.

"They need to be prepared. We can only hope we have figured out the right princesses..."

Fumi gave her a concerned look. Trying to hide the rising guilt in her eyes, she turned away and walked over to a huge book shelf.

"As you wish, Mashiro-sama," she said before triggering a mechanism that revealed the shelf as a secret door to a hidden underground base. The director remained in her bedroom. She looked outside the window, silently praying that this night's attack won't cause too much trouble for the girls.

Meanwhile on the second floor inside the Fuuka Academy, the silent corridor was illuminated by a dim light coming from the room that was labeled as 'Meeting Room Executive Board'. A young girl with a head-set placed on her short brown hair was sitting in front of a laptop that had the school emblem on it. Her glasses reflected the light of the screen, so that her eyes were barely visible. The alert of the mail-box went off as a new message arrived.

"What is it, Yukino?" A tall and busty blonde, who had been sitting quietly next to her nearly jumped up before firing the question at her companion in such an energetic tone that the shy brunette couldn't help but shiver for a slight second.

"It's them," Yukino said with a worried undertone.

"Don't make such a face, Yukino. This time I won't let you go out there alone. I am not going to blindly follow orders by someone, who doesn't even have the guts to show himself."

"Haruka-chan..."

"No complaints. I am not going with the screen."

"It's scheme, Haruka-chan."

"Whatever, I'm coming with you."

"That's exactly what the message says," the brunette stated bluntly.

"Huh?" Haruka spat with a ridiculously funny face.

"The message says that tonight might be rough and we both are needed."

"Fine with me! Time to kick some big fat Orphan-asses!"

The shy girl didn't know what to respond. She was afraid of those monsters and the powers that were forced on her by this white-haired boy, who had tricked her without regret, using her feelings towards her childhood friend against her before she even had the chance to find out that Haruka held powers as well. Still, she knew that Haruka would have never rejected the powers anyway and she probably would have tagged along just like ever. She knew her courageous friend would do anything to keep the academy safe and didn't doubt that she would even fight the monsters with bare hands. Someone like Suzushiro Haruka didn't need stupid magic to fight evil. All she needed were guts and that she had a lot. Nonetheless, she was a bit relieved that Haruka got the HiME-powers to support her in the fight for justice. Yukino once more skimmed through the messages, wondering why she was ordered to go alone last time. The old mail clearly stated that Haruka should stay out of the last fight whereas Yukino was supposed to help Mai and Mikoto. She didn't know if she had done anything wrong last time since Yuuki-san and that new girl, Kuga Natsuki, suddenly showed up. Their secret messenger hadn't mentioned those two new HiMEs but somehow she was sure that it wasn't just coincidence.

"Yukino, snap out of it." Haruka said with light concern. "We need to be strong. Who else is going to fight for the students and this academy if not the honorable Executive Board? That bubuzuke-woman can't help us solving this matter. So, are you with me or not?"

Yukino looked at the blonde with adoring eyes.

"Yes, Haruka-chan."

In the dorms, after Nao nearly smacked the bathroom door shut, every sound had disappeared from apartment. Only a deep sigh coming from Natsuki, finally broke the uncommon silence.

"Listen, I know you're angry because I brought some stranger here without your consent but it seems that she doesn't have a place to stay for tonight." The raven-haired girl whispered.

"Are you nuts, Kuga? She's the daughter of one of the richest families in the city and you tell me she practically is a bum? You better watch out that you don't get arrested for kidnapping." Nao snapped back at her.

"I know that her parents are rich. You already told me, but something is off. We were at the cliffs and..."

"What? Why? Did you guys have some sort of date or something?" In cutting off her older friend, Nao could barely keep her voice down.

"Of course not. She suddenly appeared there when the sun started to set."

"How romantic...," was the snide remark.

"Okay, stop it!" Grabbing Nao by the shoulders and almost smacking her against the bathroom door, Natsuki had a hard time keeping her voice down. "What's your problem?" Her long black hair was spread across her slender arms and her steady breath brushed against Nao's cheek, carrying a light flavor of cherries.

"Nothing. Maybe I am afraid she'll take you away from me." Nao couldn't fight the light blush that was rising up her cheeks. Natsuki, looked a bit shocked over the honest statement accompanied by an unusual rosy color on Nao's face. The younger girl soon felt the need to correct her words. "I mean after all those years, I finally got you back and I don't wanna miss you in my life ever again. With you it's not so lonely around here..." _Shit, that didn't make it any better. Nao, you dumbass!_ "I just... I don't like her. It's just a feeling. I don't know why but something about her freaks me out," she bluntly said, before breaking the eye contact.

"You don't even know her. Give her chance, will you?" Natsuki instinctively tried to get Nao's attention back and the piercing gaze of her emerald eyes let the pink-haired girl give up any resistance.

"Fine...," Nao muttered.

"Good and now to business. I've thought a lot about last night and in my opinion we need to find out why we have these powers." Letting go of her friend, she started walking around, tipping against her head several times as to keep her brain working.

"I thought we have them to fight these damn monsters," Nao stated.

"And I think there's more to it." Natsuki cocked her eyebrow. "We have these powers since we were little but all my life I never met anyone else who could do this. Outside of you of course. But after enrolling in this academy, I've already met three other people having such powers in a week. All of them girls and all of them students at Fuuka Gakuen. This can't be coincidence, right?"

"So, you're saying this school is some kind of hideout for girls with special abilities?" Incredulous eyes were staring at Natsuki.

"No, I think someone might be gathering us," she answered with a strong voice.

"Gathering? Like a HiME bazar? What for?"

"I don't know. That's why we need to do some research."

"Sounds crazy, but I trust you." Nao said without leaving any room for doubts.

Natsuki looked at her with shiny eyes. "Thank you."

"Maybe we should talk this over with Mai and Mikoto, too?"

"I don't know. Can we really trust them?" The raven-haired eyed her best friend with concern.

"I am pretty sure."

"Okay, I shall also trust your judgment then." She gave in.

"Good, I better get going then since they wanted to go on patrol tonight."

"Alone?" Natsuki spat out.

"I told them we would join, but I guess now that we have a guest, you better stay here."

"And you?"

"I'll go with them. You tell Fujino we agreed that I would sleep over at Mai's tonight."

"But..."

"No buts, I appreciate that you're worried about me. But I can look after myself."

"Am not," Natsuki mumbled, feeling the color rising to her cheeks.

_Such a caring fool, aren't you Natsuki... _

"Okay, how about this: I'll send you a text when we get home."

"Promise?"

"Promise." Nao smiled before slyly adding "I'm only doing this because I don't want you to share a bed with someone other than me of course." She winked at Natsuki before turning around fashionably slow. Nao was about to open the door when the raven-haired girl grabbed her hand from behind.

"You won't ever..." she whispered and Nao stopped her action immediately under the skin contact. Her heart started to pound when Natsuki squeezed her hand lightly.

"I won't what?" The words almost dying in her dry mouth.

"...lose me." Natsuki breathed. "You're my best friend."

Although, Nao secretly wished that she would have the guts to turn around and embrace Natsuki, but for now it was enough to hear that the girl cared about her. And so she just smiled to herself and finished opening the bathroom door to face the nightly intruder once more.

"Alright, Fujino. You can sleep at..."

The raven-haired girl tumbled into Nao's back as she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Oi, what's wrong." Natsuki growled behind her friend.

"She's gone."

"What?" Natsuki pushed Nao away to get proof. "Where?"

"How would I know?"

"Shit!"

"Chill, she's old enough. Maybe she figured it would be impolite to stay over."

Natsuki gave Nao an icy glare to remind her what was going on at the academy grounds at night.

"Oh right. Monsters. I got it." Nao said innocently.

"Let's go!" Natsuki said before speeding out the door.

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><p><strong>AN:** I know the new chapter took me awhile and is not as long as the other ones. But I had to take the exam (that I probably failed horribly) somehow. At least I wasn't all lazy and uploaded two new One Shots. But I have to say that I had a lot more reviews in winter. I guess readers become lazy when the sun comes out. Or maybe the story just sucks. anyhow, I appreciate reviews, still. Oh and on a sidemark. In this carnival Haruka will be a HiME because she deserves it and Yukariko will not even be in the story because that's what she deserves for boring me to death and tricking Nao in the anime.


	14. Secrets

"_**Do you still love me? I won't tell her if you do."**_

**Disclaimer: Mai HiME is property of Sunrise. I am getting so tired of this.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 14: Secrets<strong>

She took a huge step into the corridor and was immediately stopped by an unexpected barrier. The last thing she saw after she shot out the door in panic was the back of a white school uniform and a shocked face turning around before she ran into the obstacle with full force.

"Ouch," muttered a completely disoriented Natsuki. Her head was spinning and she needed a few seconds before realizing in what peculiar position she was in. Her limbs were practically wrapped around the crimson-eyed goddess while her body was pinning said girl to the floor. The red rose to her cheeks before she could even start thinking about unwrapping herself.

"Ara, Natsuki. After all, you really are fierce," the chestnut-haired girl said.

"Don't feel too flattered, Fujino. She does this all the time. I guess you could say it's kind of a bad habit," Nao tossed in slightly annoyed.

"Ara, so Natsuki is a part-time molester? How unexpected," was the teasing comment.

"Yeah and a full-time idiot, too. Your life must be so exhausting, Kuga." The pink-haired girl was sometimes amazed that Natsuki didn't get herself killed during their time apart from each other.

Natsuki was looking from Shizuru to Nao and back again, not sure what to respond to any of them.

_Where did I go wrong to deserve such punishment? I can't compete with both of them. Maybe it would be better if they wouldn't get along. Yes, yes. I should keep them at safe distance. Otherwise this might get dangerous for my sanity. Damn it! Why did she run away anyway?_

"What the hell are you doing here? We were worried that something might have happened to you and now we find you right outside the room."

"She was worried, not me." Nao pointed at Natsuki with an impervious face and was met with a dead glare from the emerald orbs. "Just wanted to correct that," the pink-haired girl mumbled before falling silent.

"I figured that after you had a quite lively conversation inside the bathroom, it would be better to leave and stop being a bother to you," Shizuru calmly answered.

"How thoughtful of you, Fujino-san." Nao smiled victoriously. "It was a pleasure to meet you." She took the hand of the chestnut-haired girl and started shaking it enthusiastically.

"Nao!" Natsuki growled at her childhood friend.

"Okay, okay." The lime-eyed girl sighed in defeat. "You still owe me one," she added playfully, winking at her slightly edgy friend but for some strange reason her magic worked.

"Fine." Natsuki said appeased.

Nao gave her a smile before walking towards Tokiha's room. The raven-haired girl shortly explained their plan to a baffled Shizuru.

"And she really is okay with that? She seemed a bit mad." Shizuru paused and then added, "or maybe just overprotective."

"I can still hear you. And no, I am not overprotective, but I might become mad if you don't stay in my bed during the night," Nao tossed in from afar.

"Whatever Yuuki-san wishes." Shizuru said with a perfect smile plastered on her face.

"You two are really exhausting," Natsuki mumbled.

Shizuru suddenly buried her head in her hands. "Meanie."

_Gah! I need to stop thinking aloud!_

"Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I..." The green-eyed girl tried to apologize but Shizuru was unstoppable. She couldn't help but making a theatrical sob and it had just the predicted impact on the younger girl. "Ugh, Shizuru..." The panic was clearly audible in her voice and she hectically grabbed the Kyoto-girl by the shoulders. "I really didn't..." Shizuru couldn't suppress her laughter anymore and peeked through her hands, assuring her opposite that she was just joking. Natsuki felt downright dumb and turned around to go back into her room.

"Really woman, you freak me out."

Shizuru smiled over Natsuki's cute outbreak and followed her back into the apartment. She patiently waited for the other girl to start talking again because she knew that she might have overstepped a line. Thankfully, Shizuru didn't seem to hold a grudge. After fumbling through the closet for a while she handed her a white shirt and boxer short.

"I assume it's not what you usually wear at night, but I don't have any other sleeping clothes." Natsuki said with her husky voice.

"Thank you," was the only thing Shizuru replied. She sat down on Nao's bed and started to undress. Sweatdrops formed on Natsuki's forehead when Shizuru unbuttoned her blazer.

"I... I'll be in the bathroom," Natsuki stuttered before hectically grabbing her sleeping clothes and vanishing behind the door.

_Jeez... that was close... Wait! Close what for? We're both girls. There shouldn't be a problem to get changed in the same room, right? Ahahahaha..._ Natsuki scratched the back of her head while hysterically muttering into the seemingly thin air.

"Ara, is Natsuki having fun in there?" That girl was merciless.

"I was just... killing a spider." _Shoot! Thank god, Nao didn't hear that comment. She would have beaten the shit outta me._

After she had waited a few more minutes to be completely sure that Shizuru finished changing, Natsuki came out of the bathroom, also wearing a white shirt and a black boxer shorts. The chestnut-haired girl, who was already lying in bed gave Natsuki and amused look before commenting on the clothes.

"We look like twins," she said with a smile.

Natsuki looked down on herself and started to blush lightly.

"I told you, I have nothing else to..."

"It's okay. It wasn't meant in an insulting way. I like the outfit. It looks good on you," Shizuru said with her Kyoto-ben and the most alluring voice.

Natsuki wasn't used to this kind of boldness from any other than Nao and so she just nodded and went into her bed, making sure to take a look outside the window before turning off the light. She couldn't help but having a bad feeling about tonight's hunting trip. Forgetting that she wasn't alone, she unintentionally sighed into the night air after she made sure to have her cellphone close to her ear.

"Are you okay?" The strangely familiar voice of the Kyoto-girl cut through the darkness.

"Sure," Natsuki said brusque. Minutes passed before the though biker-girl started to speak again.

"Ne Shizuru..."

"Yes." It still gave her a warm feeling, to hear the other girl addressing her so informal. It was like a sweet lullaby she had heard before but forgotten until now.

"Why did you run away?" After all, the black-haired girl did care about the reasons of the supposedly spoilt child.

There was a long pause before Shizuru decided to tell the truth. She had weight out her options and came to the conclusion that there was no use in lying. The announcement soon would be official. The only thing that made a difference was her opinion on that matter. She knew that when it will be announced, she had to be perfect. She had to smile and she had to be flawless. This was her last chance to let anybody in the world know of her true feelings about this. Shizuru knew that Natsuki was practically a stranger but the silence and darkness of the night were wrapped around her like an armor, shielding her from reproaching gazes and incomprehension. After all, Reito Kanzaki was the best shot in the academy; smart, pretty and even nice. But still, Shizuru knew she could never be happy with him let alone love him. She always had the feeling that there was something more out there waiting for her. She just hadn't found it yet.

"I'm getting married," Shizuru said emotionless.

"You what?" Natsuki burst out into the dark not sure why she was so upset about the news. "Umm, sorry, I mean congratulation."

"It's alright. It's not what I want, but what I have to." The desperation in her voice was now clearly audible.

"Well, if that guy loves you, he will understand if you're not ready yet. I mean you're still young. How long have you known each other?"

"Since Junior High."

"He's on our school? What's his name?" Natsuki wasn't the curious type, but something so unlikely like marriage at this age freaked her out a bit. "Umm, I mean I don't think I know him because I'm new, but still..."

"I'm sure you've heard of him. He's the former student-council president Kanzaki Reito."

"Kanzaki?" Natsuki repeated. I have heard that name before. I believe Mai talked about him the other day when we she was cooking for us. But didn't she plan to go on a date with him? He sure must be popular among the girls.

"You know him?" Shizuru asked.

"Me? Ugh, no. A friend of mine told me about him. He seems to be a good catch."

"Sure..." Shizuru responded in a sad voice. She turned around to face the blank walls. Tears were silently rolling down her face. _That is exactly the reaction everyone else would have. But for some reason I hoped that she would be different... _

"You don't look very happy to me." The voice was so low that it sounded far away but Shizuru knew that the other girl was still lying in the bed at the other side of the room.

"I didn't know Natsuki had the ability of night-vision." She tried to sound cheerful.

"I meant in general. Your eyes... they look sad. Even when you smile." _What am I you doing here? I don't know that girl. Stop being so personal. I really should step back and stop mingling in her privacy. I have no clue why I am bothered anyway._

Shizuru was taken aback by the words of the mysterious girl. Something deep inside told her that she was save now and that she doesn't have to hide behind the mask of perfection in this very second.

"I am..." she whispered through her silent tears. "I am sad. I don't want to marry him. I barely know him and I surely don't love him. He might be nice and good-looking but he's not right for me. I know it. There's got to be more. This can't be the end." The crimson-eyed regretted that her voice sounded so broken and melodramatic, but she never had the chance to give her feelings a voice before. Thus, she had no practice in controlling the tone of her real emotions and so they just came out as they were... raw. She felt embarrassed as her sobs broke through the darkness, but it was too late to keep on pretending now. She was just glad the moon didn't illuminate the room for now since it was hidden behind dark clouds.

Not quite sure what to say, Natsuki remained silent for a while. Until now she never thought about such problems. In fact, she didn't think about the complexity of relationships in general. She had no experience in emotions or interacting with friends and she felt more than helpless the very second Shizuru started to cry. She tried to think of what Nao would do if it was her and even though it seemed to be utterly wrong, she slowly started to crawl out of her bed.

Shizuru could hear the footsteps of the other girl coming closer through the dimness. Her heartbeat got wilder with every step. None of the girls dared to speak a word. Only their breathing and the low sounds of Natsuki's feet against the wooden floor made the moment real. Reaching the bed, the black-haired girl had already lost track of her intention. The scent of water lilies sphered around her nose, once more reminding her that it wasn't her best friend lying in front of her. But still, she didn't know better and so she carefully sat down on the edge of the bed, praying that she wouldn't smash any organs of the filigree girl. But to her relieve the crimson-eyed lay close to the wall.

Shizuru did her best to suppress the sobbing but her tears were mercilessly forcing their way to the outside. She was afraid of turning around and facing the endlessness of those emerald eyes. Every time she looked into these eyes, she felt like getting lost in them. As if she was drowning in an ocean of deep green. The girl made her feel helpless. She made her feel insecure and unprotected and yet, safer than ever before. The sudden contact of Natsuki's hand on her back let her stiffen. The touch seemed to burn right through the fabric of her clothes. If she didn't know for sure she wore a shirt, she would have sworn that her skin started to melt with the Natsuki's. She sharply inhaled as if being in pain, before she stopped breathing completely. Only when the hand started to stroke up and down, she eventually let the air flow out of her lungs in a muffled sob.

"Can't you talk this over with your parents? I mean, I am sure they want their daughter to be happy. The shrink in the Orphanage told Nao and me that parents always want the best for their children." Natsuki didn't know why she told the other girl something like this right now, but she felt like she had to say something to cheer her up.

The older girl couldn't help but forming a bitter smile over the naive comment.

"It sounds nice but sadly the world isn't that simple. My father does what he has to do and so should I." She paused to take some fresh air in. "But I am different. I'm not him. I wish he could see that. But he won't even listen to me, let alone trying to see the real me. But I can't blame him. I'm sick of myself." The words just fell out of her mouth. "I'm sorry for being such a weakling, but let me be myself just for tonight. Tomorrow, I'll have to face my father and apologize with a perfect smile again, before announcing my engagement with Reito-san. So please... just for tonight... " The tears swallowed her last words and she couldn't control the amount of oxygen her lungs filtered any longer. She curled herself up into ball, hoping to crush the pain inside.

Natsuki didn't know what to say anymore. Surrender wasn't something she liked, but then she had no idea how to deal with family business. To her the situation was simple, she would never marry someone for the sake of somebody else and she couldn't understand why Shizuru would obey her father so willingly.

"You have to fight," Natsuki suddenly said.

"What?"

"Don't just give in to anyone's wishes." The raven haired-girl was as bluntly as ever.

Shizuru shot into an upright position. The blackness of the night made it hard to figure out the exact position of the other girl's face and so she just stared into the darkness before turning her heads towards the window. The moon was about to fight its way through the clouds while she took a deep breath.

"My father isn't anyone. You don't know him. You have no idea what responsibilities come with being a Fujino. You..."

"I know," Natsuki cut her off. "I know that I don't know you at all and that it isn't my place to tell you what to do. But I know that it's wrong to do something you don't wanna do and if you really don't love this boy than don't marry him. I am sure there's somewhere someone waiting for you." When she voiced the last syllable with a strange tone of melancholia, the moon finally broke free from its cage of dark clouds. Irradiated by the sun, its light cut directly through the dimness of the apartment, unmasking two girls, who had been fighting a desperate battle of an emotional hide and seek in the safety of the night. Natsuki's emerald eyes were glimmering with the soft reflection of the moonshine and her gaze was captured into the deep crimson of her teary opposite. She remained silent as if the moment had frozen over, mirroring a perfect image of serenity. Her breathing started to increase the longer she stared into the desperation of those deep red eyes. A strange tension was building up with every second the moment lasted. Like a magnet she felt herself drawn in by the aura of the chestnut-haired girl. She couldn't think, she couldn't speak, she couldn't even struggle against this mighty force pulling inside of her. Never breaking the gaze, she slightly bended over to bring herself closer to the bewitching eyes. The smell of water lilies seemed so much more present that she was afraid of losing track of reality. She could see that the cheeks of the other girl had a light rosy color from the crying. The whole scenario made her look so fragile that Natsuki was afraid to come closer for she wasn't sure what would happen.

Shizuru felt as if the green eyes were looking right into her soul. Again, she felt helpless and exposed. But the longer she was holding the eye-contact the more of her insecurity faded. She was sure that something about this girl was different. And although she had sworn herself to stop having such thoughts about girls, she couldn't help but being fascinated by the mysterious beauty in front of her. Her heart was giving her mind a hard time in resisting her so called inappropriate feelings but for now she couldn't do anything but let her senses take over. After all her defense was entirely gone for tonight and she slowly started to doubt that the whole situation was real anyway. Acting only on her needs and emotions right now, she tilted her head a little and leaned in. She closed her eyes when Natsuki's face was only inches away from hers. Her heart was hammering in her chest while she waited for the other girl to close the last remaining distance. Seconds ticked away like breaths, but nothing like that happened and even though she was afraid to open her eyes for facing reality, she knew she had to eventually wake up. To her surprise the other girl was still as close as before, only the calm expression had turned into something else. Her eyes were shut tightly as if she was in pain and after a few seconds Shizuru figured that she actually was.

"Are you okay?" The Kyoto-born girl asked in a worried tone bringing some distance between them again.

"Yeah, I just got a headache." The pain was still present but it was at least slowly decreasing after the other girl had moved away.

"You tend to have migraine, don't you?"

"Not before I met you." The black-haired girl still had one eye closed in pain.

"I have no idea what that's supposed to mean," was the puzzled response.

"Nothing, forget about it."

"Thank you, Natsuki. You're an intriguing person." Shizuru brought herself closer once more. So close that Natsuki could feel the sweet breath upon her face. Just for a slight moment a picture of a cliff and two figures wrapped around each other flickered up in her mind's eye. But she lost her train of thoughts the moment she felt soft lips upon her right cheek. She somehow was relieved that the situation played out into a little peck because she had no idea if she could handle anything other than that. It suddenly seemed as if she had missed out a lot in life. Things like love or friendship weren't something she was used to. She had never known anything beside her feelings for Nao and so she couldn't make out what this was all about, but it somehow didn't bother her either. The only thing she did know for sure was that this usually wasn't the way she treated a stranger. She was blushing in the dark. "So, you'll call off the wedding?" she muttered, trying to overlook the action of the crimson-eyed.

"No, but at least I know that you know how I really feel. Goodnight, Natsuki." Shizuru turned around with an invisible smile on her lips and Natsuki eventually walked back to her bed. She gave her cellphone a worried glance, noticing that there wasn't any sign from Nao by now.

"Goodnight," she said, while clutching her mobile tightly.

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><p><strong>AN:** This chapter really took me like forever. I was rewriting it over and over again because I was never satisified but finally I think it came out nicely. I always have a hard time writing ShizNat scenes but I'm slowly getting better at it. Lol, which isn't of any use since I have lost all ShizNat fans after the NatNao filled chapters. Anyhow, if somebody out there liked this chapter, let me know in a review. I know a good author shouldn't have to beg for reviews...so what tells you that? Btw next chapter will be a big fight were Haruka's child and element will be revealed. It was planned for this chapter but then I got wrapped up in the ShizNatness


	15. Dusk

"_**For one more day, I'm not afraid to fall. For one more day, we try to save it all."**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mai HiME.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 15: Dusk<strong>

"Kagutsuchi!" Mai's scream echoed through the night like a siren, immediately followed by a huge explosion. Shining crystals were swaying through the air as a last reminder of the creature that was lurking for her blood moments ago.

"Good job, Mai. If I had known it would be so easy I wouldn't have left Natsuki alone."

"But she isn't alone, Nao." Mikoto said with her childish improvidence.

"I know that. Thanks for reminding, brat," Nao snapped back in defense.

"Hey hey, don't be so edgy. She'll be fine." Even Mai's attempts to cheer her up didn't work well tonight.

"Oh yeah, I have no doubts about that."

"And you get the privilege to spend the rest of the night with us." Mai smiled her biggest smile.

"It's great, Nao. Yup!" Mikoto added.

"Hooray." The agitated girl raised her arms to underline the irony of her statement. "Fine. Let's go home then. I need to text Natsuki when we get there."

"Aw, is she worried about you?" Mai winked at her.

"Shut up!"

"You two are actually really cute together. You like her very much don't you?" _This girl just don't know when to stop._

"You mean a bit like you and Reito?" Nao flashed a knowing glance at her friend. "I wonder how Tate feels about this." Normally, she would stay out of this kind of business but she had to fight Mai with her own weapons here.

"What? How do you... " Mai's jaw dropped to the ground.

"You talk about Kanzaki quite often lately. So, I figured you like him." Blunt as ever, Nao wasn't afraid to state the obvious.

Mai's eyes suddenly became sad. "You know, I've been with Yuuichi for quite a while now, but lately we seem to grow apart. This Shiho-girl started to hang around 24/7 and he doesn't seem to mind. I don't even know where she came from. It just happened that Reito was there to listen to my bitching and we really get along well."

Not being seriously interested in that kind of stuff, the Nao forced herself to act like a good friend. Mai was one of her first friends in school and it was clear that Mikoto wasn't a person who could understand things like this. "So, why not giving it a go?"

Mai looked at her with shocked eyes. "I am still with Tate, plus, Reito doesn't seem to be interested."

"How do you know? I thought he calls you regularly to check up on you."

"Maybe. But somehow he's acting reserved. I thought he liked me, but then he always avoids talks about this as if he's already taken or something." Mai's voice was low and much sadder than expected.

"If you don't try you'll never find out." Nao sounded strangely confident and her friend was a bit shocked to have this kind of conversation with the usual cold-hearted one.

"Thank you," she said before running a few steps ahead to catch up with Mikoto. "And same to you."

The last words let Nao stop dead in her tracks. For a second, she wasn't sure if she had heard her right. But somehow she knew that she understood the meaning of it perfectly fine.

"Idiot...," she mumbled to herself with a light smile on her face before following the two girls outside of the forest.

Just when the group was about to enter the meadow, a demonic growl resonated from the darkness behind them. They exchanged a few glances before sprinting back into the woods.

"There it is!" Mikoto said before disappearing in the shadows.

"Mikoto, don't!" The red head screamed after her roommate who was already out of sight. She made a gesture to Nao to follow their catlike friend but they were stopped before they could even turn around. Red eyes flashed behind the busty girl seconds before the first attack was blown. Instinctively, Mai was quick enough to block most of the impact with her power, but it still sent her flying backwards into the bushes.

"Julia!" Nao didn't lose any time, but before she had a chance to react she was swept of her feet by a force she was completely unaware off. Sharp metal fangs were digging into soft flesh, making her groan in pain. Moments later her body was crashed against a tree with full force before lying motionless on the ground.

"Nao!" Mai could only scream in horror when she saw the shirt of her friend getting soaked with blood. The attempt to run over was thwarted by the Orphan that had attacked her a few seconds ago. As much as she wanted to help Nao, she knew she had to fight this one first. She called out to Kagutsuchi and started to fight with all she got. But against her hopes to have things under control with the help of her Child, more and more Orphans appeared out of nowhere. Their dangerous red eyes flared evilly in the shadows of the covert. A glance to her injured friend made her heart race in panic. Three hairy beasts, resembling enormous werewolves, were closing in on the still unconscious girl. Her Child Julia was desperately trying to fight off the Orphans by menacing them with its scorpion tail. The mechanic figure hovered closely above the limp body of its owner, trying to defend her from any more harm. Mikoto still was nowhere to be seen and as much as Mai tried to fight her way through to Nao, it wasn't possible. At this rate she had to struggle to get herself out of this alive. Her only hope was that the fighting sounds would lead Mikoto or even Natsuki to this place but as soon as the thought stroke her mind, the noise was sealed away under an invisible dome. She knew this power and was glad that at least Yukino came to her aid. She spotted the shy girl behind a big oak tree and yelled over.

"Yukino, I'm so glad you're here. Nao is hurt and these monsters seem to pop out of nowhere. I don't know how much longer I can hold them back. Forget about the shield, I need your help here. Bring Diana up."

The mahogany-haired looked at her with terrified eyes. _I can't summon Diana here... If I do, they'll know... Haruka-chan will... _

"Hephaestus!" a loud voice suddenly emanated out of nowhere, making the red-haired girl frantically searching the shadows around her.

Shortly afterwards a shrill birdlike scream cut through the treetops, its echo resonating from the invisible barrier before fading into obscurity. The following silence was harshly crushed by a giant gust of wind that twirled up the soil from the forest ground. Mai hastily shielded her eyes with her left arm trying to prevent the little particles from clouding her vision. Having to blink the dirt away for several times, she could only see enough to watch the giant monster in front of her shatter into pieces while the earth started shaking.

Speechless and irritated, Mai started to look around, finding a huge cloud of dust in the spot where one of the monsters had been prowling seconds ago. Slowly the grain started to settle, revealing a tall blonde girl with purple eyes, who held a giant ancient looking hammer in her hands. A big shadow, moving right behind her, turned around slowly, exposing a light-green mechanic body that resembled much of a lion. Only the huge wings that were standing out in the dimness of the forest and the white eagle-like head tarnished the image of a colossal feline predator. The red-head had seen this kind of creature before. She wandered through the depths of her mind to find the memory of an image from a history book about the middle-ages where a fable creature that looked a lot like this Child, was called a griffin. The busty blonde glanced at Yukino, placing a quick smile before swirling her hammer around once more. The griffin dashed into the air letting out another bone-shaking scream while targeting the next Orphan and along with the movement of the hammer, which hit the bottom with the next earthshaking attack, the griffin shot down to earth again. Its claws dug deep into the flesh of one of the Werewolf-Orphans that was attacking Julia, tearing the hairy beast apart in one fatal strike, leaving another trail of sparkeling crystals.

Mai was glued to the spot, irritation and shock balancing each other in her mind. She needed another minute before ordering Kagutsuchi to help the newest discovered HiME fighting the monsters.

As much as Natsuki tried to fall into the arms of sleep it didn't work. She could barely reach the state of slumber. The bad feeling seemed to deepen with every second her cell remained silent. Every tick of the alarm clock on her nightstand increased her worries and when the little and the big hand formed the angle of 3 am, she decided not to wait any longer. She hit the speed dial and waited for the connection to build up. Hearing the peeping on the other line, she was relieved at first, but after a good minute of ringing, she knew that something was wrong. Of course, it was possible that Nao just forgot to text her when she got back to the dorms but her feeling told her otherwise. She had to go. Maybe it was some weird connection she had to her childhood friend, but she felt that the other girl was in danger.

_Shit! I shouldn't have let her go alone. I knew this would happen. I need to find her. Now!_

Her body was on alert and her mind already set on panic when she left the apartment as silent as possible.

When the sound of Natsuki's steps slowly got lost in the silence of the night, the crimson-eyed girl folded back the blanket. An unpleasant hissing shot through her head, but she didn't have time for psychotic fits right now. The happening in the rose garden couldn't have been pure imagination now that the other girl was acting so strange by leaving the dorms after the curfew and if another of those beasts were to show up, she had to make sure that Natsuki was safe. There was no time for asking herself why she would feel this way about the other girl but she decided that she must have gotten these powers for a reason and so she ignored the voice that was telling her to stay in the apartment and was quick to get dressed before following the raven-haired girl into the darkness.

Natsuki had no idea where to start searching but given the fact that the Orphans have mostly appeared in the woods, that was the direction to go. As soon as she got near the edge of the forest, she could feel the odd vibrations again.

_That must be Yukino's power. She's covering up the battle._

She ran as fast as she could, letting her feelings lead the way for the next hundred feet. The vibration was reaching its peak and within a single step she broke through the invisible barrier. Instantly noticing that this time a much larger ground had been covered up. She could see flames arise from the canopy. She knew it was Kagutsuchi and paced after the light. The battle sounds started to get louder when she came closer. The silhouette of Mai was standing next to her dragon-like Child. Her eyes needed some time to catch the whole situation. She had never seen so many Orphans attacking at once before. The red-head was practically attacked from every side and after watching the scenario for a moment, she regarded another girl with blonde hair on the back of her apparent Child. After all, it didn't take a genius to figure out that another HiME had shown herself. Still, her eyes weren't able to find Nao. Turning her head to the right, she spotted Julia surround by two wolf-like Orphans. Natsuki blinked twice before she believed her eyes that her best friend was lying on the ground obviously unconscious. Without thinking she rushed towards Nao, spotting the red color on her school-uniform.

"Duran!" Her heart screamed out in terror while her body got covered up in sharp icicles that shattered into pieces under the deafening howl of her mechanic wolf as it broke free. Duran was quick to come to aid of its old battle comrade and helped Julia to fight back the predators by firing chrome cartridges within a radius of a few feet away from her injured friend. The spider got on its multiple feet and started fighting the beasts alongside of Duran. After they repulsed the Orphans farther away from Nao the dust started to settle. Natsuki immediately closed the last distance and kneeled down beside the unconscious one.

"Nao..." It was merely a whimper but the pink-haired girl flinched in pain when she heard the voice of the raven-haired through the veil of agony. Instinctively reaching out to cup the face of the weak girl, Natsuki opened her mouth again.

"I'm here, Nao." Tears formed in her eyes when she took in the full amount of blood on the stained blouse. "I'm here..." She carefully embraced the younger girl as if she wanted to shield the damaged body from any further attacks, her chest waving heavily under her tears.

Mai and Haruka stopped fighting for a second, both looking at the devastated raven-haired girl. But in just this split second one of the last remaining monsters broke free from the coppice, making a huge jump towards Natsuki and Nao. Unable to help her friends, Mai could just watch in horror when the sharp claws targeted the body of the Ice-HiME.

The ruckus didn't go unnoticed by the emerald-eyed. She turned her head and found two shiny evil orbs lunging at her. A quick glance manifested her fear that neither Duran nor Julia was close enough to help and so there was nothing left to do but raising her hands in defense.

Shizuru who had silently watched the scenery from behind a tree was frightened and relieved at the same time.

_There are others than me? That means I didn't just imagine the whole thing. And Natsuki..., she also has powers. _A smile crossed her lips but died away after reminding herself that the best friend of the raven-haired girl was badly injured. The sight of the childhood friends was heart-wrenching and she felt a burning hatred ignite inside of her chest. Observing the situation and taking in all of her surroundings Shizuru saw the attack from the Orphan coming before everyone else did. She was quick to react and instantly called out for Kiyohime. But when she did loud hisses started ringing in her ears.

'Ssss... you're not allowed to... sss.'

_What is wrong?_ Shizuru brought a hand up and rubbed her forehead. _This can't be happening right now... _

"You don't get a saying here. Come out and do as I say!" The sharp orders seemed to break the resistance of the titanic Hydra and let the hissing fade into the back of her mind.

For Natsuki the following events all seemed to happen in just one second. Her ears suddenly caught something that seemed to be whispers from the forest, but her mind somehow recognized the sounds and formed them into a word that gave her goose bumps.

_Kiyohime._

She wasn't sure if Mai and the other HiME had also heard the voice or if it was just in her head, but right now she didn't care. The only thing she knew for sure was that a gigantic purple hydra with multiple heads materialized in front of her and Nao to protect them from the attack of the Orphan. Judging by its appearance Natsuki figured that it must be the Child of another HiME, and so she searched the shadows for the supposedly owner. Finding said person near a big tree, Natsuki wasn't sure if she was already dead or just completely nuts. She didn't trust her eyes when they took in the sight of the chestnut-haired girl in the perfect white school uniform, swinging a huge naginata-like weapon.

"Shiz... uru..." was all that the raven-haired girl could voice at the moment.

A few minutes later all of the Orphans were nothing more than a shiny decoration above their heads. Even such a huge group couldn't stand against five HiME. Mai ran over to Nao and Natsuki whilst Haruka and Yukino silently disappeared into the air on the back of Hephaestus. Shizuru first wasn't sure if she should come over, but she knew that Natsuki had already seen her and so there was no use in hiding. She started to walk towards the little group followed by her reptilian Child. But when she tried to get closer the other Childs suddenly got uneasy. Kagutsuchi took an agitated pose, letting out a bit of fume, while Julia brought herself close to its injured owner again. When the Kyoto-girl was only a few steps away, Duran jumped in front of the group growling at her. Kiyohime answered him with a hiss and suddenly the tension rose to a new level. Natsuki ran over to her Child and tried to calm down the situation, but Shizuru stopped dead in her tracks.

"Duran, what's wrong? She's a friend." The mechanic wolf tilted its head towards the raven-haired girl, who was giving him a pleading look. Still growling, Natsuki started to pet its head. "She just saved my life. Please..." The desperation was written all over her face and Duran eventually backed off, positioning itself next to Julia with watchful eyes. The crimson-eyed girl decided that it would be best to dematerialize Kiyohime for now. The danger was banned and somehow she didn't fully trust her Child. Her eyes locked with the emerald ones and the sight of the shattered girl almost broke her heart. She just wanted to ran over and take her into her arms to tell her that everything will be alright. But flashing a glance at the pink-haired girl she wasn't so sure if that would be the case.

The silence didn't last long as new noises arose from the forest.

"Don't tell me... " Mai said in disbelief but was soon appeased when she heard the familiar voice of her history teacher.

"Don't worry, kids. I'll take it from here on."

"You're a little late, Midori-chan." The busty girl said.

"I know, but I had to bring one more person." Midori said while sitting on the back of Gakutenou with another familiar looking face.

"Sagisawa-san?" Mai said in disbelief.

"She's the school nurse." Midori quickly explained.

"But how do you..." Mai was getting more and more irritated.

"Don't worry, she knows about the HiME. She's helping me with my research on them."

"But..." Mai continued her babbling.

"How I got here? I got an anonymous mail that I might be needed and that I should bring her with me." She pointed at woman behind her.

Natsuki just stood there in awe, taking in every spoken word with caution.

_So, Sugiura-sensei is a HiME too and already started to do some research... And Mai already knew... What's going on here?_

When Youko caught sight of the injured student she rushed over right away.

Half an hour later at the dorms, Youko had taken care of the Nao's wounds..

"She's stable now. The wound looks worse than it actually is. It only took a few stitches. She had lost some blood though. It's important that you make sure she gets enough to drink tomorrow." Youko once more checked the pulse before finally packing her things together.

"I will. Is there anything else I can do?" Natsuki gazed was fixated on Nao's sleeping form.

"Just let her rest. She needs to lie down for one or two days. I will check up on her tomorrow morning. All of you should get some rest too." She looked around, sending worried glances to all of the girls.

After she and Midori had left the apartment along with Mai, Natsuki kneeled down beside Nao's bed, taking the hand of the younger girl in hers. It was warm. The chest of the injured girl was steadily going up and down.

"I'm sorry. I should have been there... I should have protected you," she whispered with a teary voice.

"It's not your fault." Shizuru knew it wasn't her place to step in, but she couldn't stand the raven-haired girl torturing herself over this any longer. She walked over to the whimpering girl and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You should let her rest for a bit. There's nothing you can do right now and Sagisawa-san is right, you need your sleep too. Natsuki turned around and glared at her. "Please. She might need you tomorrow and you won't be of any help if you collapse." Shizuru words were insistently, her deep red eyes standing firm against the emerald ones.

Natsuki shook the hand of the Kyoto-girl off and disappeared in the bathroom. When she came out a few minutes later she seemed to have calmed down a bit. She quickly went over to her bed and slid under the sheets, of course not without placing another worried look upon her roommate. When she was just about to turn the lights off, she finally noticed that the crimson eyed girl was standing near the door unsure what to do next.

_Shit, I totally forget... she doesn't have a place to stay for tonight. She glanced over to her injured friend with apologetic eyes. I guess, I have no choice then. Forgive me, Nao._

"Are you going to stand there for the rest of the night?" Her voice sounded drained. "You can sleep in my bed."

"Are you sure it's okay?" For the first time the Kyoto-beauty sounded somewhat shy.

"Do you have a better idea?" was the short and harsh response.

Shizuru didn't know what reply and so she got over and grabbed her borrowed sleeping clothes. Natsuki, of course, turned away while the older girl got changed.

"Is it okay, if I sleep on the edge? I want to have Nao in sight."

"Sure." The older girl made an elegant step over Natsuki's body and got under the sheets, positioning herself next to the wall. She didn't want to make the other girl feel uncomfortable and so kept her distance.

After a while of silence and a lot of tossing and turning later the chestnut-haired could literally feel the uneasiness of the younger girl next to her.

"Maybe, it's better if I leave," she eventually said.

Natsuki sighed before replying. "It's not about you." Her face was turned towards the other side of the bed and although the room was much too dark to see anything, Shizuru knew that she was silently watching over her injured friend.

"She'll be okay."

"You don't know that." The raven-haired girl sounded agitated and exhausted at the same time.

"She's strong. Just like you." The last words were spoken so low that Natsuki could barely grab them.

"I'm not strong. If I were, I would have been able to protect her." Her breathing started to get heavier again.

"Natsuki, believe me it wasn't your fault and she knows that too." She didn't know what to do or say for preventing the other girl from crying and so she just kept quiet for a while.

The silence didn't allow Natsuki to completely cover up her sobs, but she wasn't a person who was used to cry in front of others. At least the darkness swallowed the image of her crying self. Shizuru's arm encircling her waist from behind and pulling her close out of the blue completely caught her off guard. Her body stiffened under the sudden contact. She could feel the breasts of the older girl pressed against her back and the warmness of the body behind her, boiled her temperature up, making her feel even more uncomfortable. Only when the other girl started speaking again, she noticed that she had stopped breathing entirely.

"Breathe," Shizuru whispered into her back. "It's okay. I won't hurt you or anything. Just relax. Breathe with me." The hushed words crawled along her neck in a breath of air, speeding up her heart a little. The rising and falling of the older girl's chest seemed to be the only thing that kept on moving this moment.

At first, Natsuki didn't want to follow the advice, but oxygen wasn't something she could live without so easily and so, she eventually started to follow the instruction and somehow it did help. Her breathing relaxed and the tears eventually run dry on her lightly swollen cheeks. She wasn't comfortable with the body contact at all but for now, it made her feel safe. The weight on her shoulders didn't feel so heavy anymore. Or maybe it just shifted to her eyelids. Either way, for tonight she didn't have the strength to fight anymore. Not against sleep, not against guilt, not even against the warm embrace from the captivating girl behind her. She finally allowed herself to fall.

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><p><strong>HiME-Mythology Information: Hephaestus (Griffin)<strong>

Haruka's child is a gigantic mechanic green-white Griffin. Representing both wisdom and power, griffins were commonly associated with strength in war. The name Hephaestus refers to the Greek god of fire, metalworking, stonemasonry, sculpture and volcanism. His symbols are the hammer, tongs, and anvil.

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><p><strong>AN:** Pew, this chapter took me at least ten hours to write and three hours of reasearch for coming up with a name, a background story and the image of Haruka's child. Battle scenes are always so much more complicated to write and it was a fairly long chapter, too. I am finally satisfied with the outcome. I hope you enjoyed it, let me know if you did.


	16. Dawn

"_**I know you can move the time and the space that falls between us. I know you can cross the lines. All I can say is break them down."**_

**Disclaimer: Still don't own neither Sunrise nor Mai HiME.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 16: Dawn<strong>

The dormitory of Fuuka Academy was swathedin mist when dawn was breaking. Only a few students were already roaming around the campus, trying to keep their bodies in shape. The forest lay soundless and peaceful in the shadiness of the new day, while the first rays of sunlight touched the azure-painted horizon. Nothing of the serene image gave away any secrets of last night's severe battle or the malicious creatures crawling through the underbrush around the campus. The world was still turning and it wouldn't stop or turn back just because a certain pink-haired girl inside the dorms wished for nothing more than this at the present moment. Nao Yuuki had the headache of her life the minute she opened her eyes to the silent melody of the wind chime that hung from the ceiling. The wind not only carried the sweet melody; but also a breeze of fresh air which was inhaled deeply by the dozed girl. As the minutes ticked away her mind slowly started to work, puzzling together all the little pieces of the events of last night.

_There was this huge fight and some of these bastards knocked me out... Wait! Natsuki was there to! Is she okay? Why am I in my own bed? Where did this Fujino person go?_

Her mind was spinning like a broken carousel. In one hectically move she tried to bring herself into an upright position to check on her beloved friend; but a sharp pain erupting from her ribcage pinned her back onto the bed.

_What the...?!_

She lifted the blanket a little along with her shirt and scanned her upper body for any injuries, only to find it bandaged from chest to stomach. Under her right breast the white fabric was bit by bit getting darker than the rest.

_Shit! It must have started to bleed again when I tried to get up... How could this happen to me? I never lost a fight before, but__last night sure was different. There were so many of them..._

She let out a low sigh while staring at the ceiling gaze wandered back to the wind chime before crawling downwards along the wall, hitting the bed on the other side of the room eventually. The image she found pushed the aching in her chest to a new level. At first the sight was peaceful: Natsuki was lying in her bed, sleeping soundlessly. A few black strands were covering the right side of her face. Her was mouth was slightly open and her right arm was hanging down from the edge of her bed whilst her left supported her head. It would have been perfectly cute; if there wouldn't have been a figure embracing her tightly from behind. And although Nao couldn't see the person; she knew it was Shizuru's arm wrapped around the waist of her best friend. She wasn't sure if the increasing wetness of her bandage came from the bleeding of her wound or if her heart was about to dig its way out of her chest. Nao turned her head away from the torment. Shutting her eyes tightly, she tried to pretend that she was still asleep, that she only had a bad dream but the pain was a constant reminder of how real all of this was. She couldn't bear the sight, she couldn't even bear the thought and she felt the need to get away immediately. No matter how hurtful it was to get up, it couldn't compete with the agony she felt when she saw Natsuki in the arms of this stranger. The next attempt atleaving the bed sent another wave of pain through her body and she couldn't repress a whimper this time, followed by shallow breathing. She fell back to her bed. Her head was spinning due to the missing air and the bandage was getting wetter and wetter.

Natsuki was wide awake when she heard the movements and noises from the other bed and was about to jump out of hers when she noticed the arm around her waist. She blushed slightly before struggling her way out of the embrace, careful not to wake the Kyoto-girl. She walked over to Nao and found her friend on her back with open eyes.

"Nao..." The raven-haired girl was lost for words and it seemed Nao also didn't know that to say, but at least she turned her head a little to face the worried girl. Natsuki could see that something was wrong. The usually joyful green-eyes looked different. They looked pained and for some reason, she wasn't sure; if it was because of the injuries or if it had something to do with their guest.

Natsuki noticed the flat breathing of Nao and got even more worried. She carefully lifted the blanket and was met with a stain of deep red blood.

"Holy shit! What did you do? Have you been sleepwalking? Sagisawa-sensei stitched you up perfectly last night!"

"Sleepwalking? I wish I could even get up or at least turn around." The lime-eyed girl barked back. _This way I wouldn't have to see your sweet hanky-panky anymore... _She added in her mind, not bothering to let Natsuki know about her thoughts.

The raven-haired girl, however, wasn't sure what to say and decided to go with the certain facts. "We need to change your bandage and see if we have to call Sagisawa-sensei." She gave her friend an apologetic glance before disappearing in the direction of the bathroom. Shizuru had been lying still for the sake of giving the girls some privacy but she had heard every word; and unlike; Natsuki she had caught the hidden message from the Spider-HiME.

_So it's true. This girl really has a thing for Natsuki. Well, I can't blame her, she really is something. Maybe I can talk some sense into her._

After the bathroom door was closed, Shizuru brought herself up and looked outside the window.

"You would be stupid if you were to let her slip away." The words were said as nonchalantly as an order in a restaurant; but the meaning sunk so deep into Nao's mind that she could only stare at the chestnut-haired girl in wonder. Shizuru eventually turned to face her and smiled. "Don't worry. I won't take her away from you." The words wandered through the empty space between the two girls and Nao remained silent. She felt caught, embarrassed and somewhat relieved at the same time; but before she could form an adequate answer, the bathroom door swung open and a fully dressed Natsuki came out with a fresh bandage and some other utensils, noticing that Shizuru was awake by now. She said a quick good morning before directing her full attention at Nao. The Kyoto-girl smiled politely before grabbing her things and disappearing in the bathroom. Natsuki kneeled down beside Nao's bed and unfolded the blanket. Her gaze was nervously wandering up and down the bandage several times, before her eyes kept lingering on the chest of the younger girl.

_Okay... it goes from waist to chest, meaning that if I were to unwrap it completely... *internal-nosebleed* _The thought struck her like lightning and she had a hard time to keep her blood pressure down. _Breasts... UGH, NO! I need to be a little more professional here! She's hurt and she needs my help! Yeah, a professional pervert... GAAHHHH, shut up! _She didn't want Nao to notice her odd behaviorand so she broke the silence to stop her mind from babbling.

"Does it hurt?"

The words echoed through Nao's mind like thunder. She wanted to scream right into Natsuki's face that the pain from her wound was nothing against the pain she felt in her chest, but she'd never admit that and so she just stared at her friend in silence.

Natsuki tore her eyes from the chest and locked them with Nao's lime-coloredones when she noticed that the girl didn't answer her question. She was met with an expression full of emotions. She just didn't know how to read them. Not able to stand the gaze any longer, Nao finally answered the question with a nod that she was sure wouldn't give away her secret.

Trying to prove her friendship and coolness, Natsuki started to gently unwrap the strapping, looking up every two seconds to make sure she wasn't giving her childhood friend anymore pain. When she came to the last layers, Nao's breathing got slower, whereas Natsuki's heartbeat started to increase.

The heart of the pink-haired girl had already skipped as many beats as possible without dying when the fingers of the green-eyed beauty had begun to fly across her skin. It was as if her fingertips were sending little electric shocks to her body and she had a hard time stopping the heat from her upper-body to rise to her cheeks.

"This might hurt a little." The raven-haired said when she was about to lay the wound open. Nao didn't want to look weak in front Natsuki and so she closed her eyes and held her breath, awaiting the last moves of her friend and ready to cover her bare chest instantly. But nothing happened. When she opened her eyes, she saw the raven-haired girl still sitting in the same position. The only difference was that some black strands were covering the eyes of Natsuki and that the colorof her face was now closer to a tomato than to anything else.

"I... I... I think it's better if we call Sagisawa-sensei," Natsuki stuttered.

"Yes, that would be a great idea," Nao answered nervously giggling and more than thankful that they didn't have to go all the way. Of course, they are both girls and it shouldn't be a problem, butobviously neither of them seemed to be comfortable with the forced nakedness.

"Yeah, right. I'm gonna get her right away." Natsuki jumped to her feet and practically started to run in the opposite direction, only to bump into Shizuru a second later in front of the bathroom door. The taller girl figured that the reason for the rush and the red color on the girl's cheek's must be Nao and so she peeked over Natsuki's shoulder and saw the other girl lying on her bed also blushing in all shades of red with the last layers of bandage covering her chest.

"Ara ara, no need to be so forceful every time. Who were you about to get? Me?" She smiled her typical smile at Natsuki, who just stood there with dropped jaw. "It's so nice of Natsuki to have me witness the unwrapping of Yuuki-san. I was afraid I would miss the best part." The Kyoto-ben flowed out of her mouth like a sweet melody. If the words wouldn't have any meaning it could have been a sweet lullaby, but for now, it was more of a threat to the already beet-red girls. Shizuru found it utterly funny that they managed to get the same reaction from both of them by making such a small comment, but decided to stop torturing the shy girls any further.

"I'm gonna go now to give you two some more privacy." She winked at Nao, while Natsuki grabbed her nose in reflex. "I'll make sure to tell Sagisawa-sensei to come over and have a look at your wound, so that Natsuki can stay by your side a little longer." Her red-eyes now locked once more with emerald orbs in front of her. "And you make sure to get to school on time. You're attendance record mustn't suffer because of your womanizing." One more wink and she was gone, leaving behindtwo speechless and baffled girls.

Meanwhile, a few doors down the corridor, Mai was already preparing a bento box for Mikoto and herself.

"And you really can't remember what happened last night, Mikoto?"

"I chased after an Orphan and then I woke up in my bed." The little one furrowed her brow but it seemed she really didn't know. Mai was sure that last night something strange had been going on and she decided that it was time for a team-meeting. They knew at least six HiME by now and she was sure that there must be more out there, maybe Yukino and her busty friend knew of any others.

"Ne Mikoto, let's check up on Nao and pick up Natsuki for school." Mai said, handing the bento-boxes over. The little one nodded and grabbed them eagerly before storming out the door and down the corridor.

"Don't forget to knock before you..." The red-head shouted after her, but Mikoto was already inside. When Mai entered the apartment a few seconds later, the first thing she did was apologizing for her enthusiastic roommate.

"Good Morning, here's your Personal Escort and Check-up Team!" A big grin followed the swift greeting of the busty girl. Natsuki, who was sitting in front of the pink-haired girl's bed only nodded towards the intruders.

"Hey, it's good to see ya guys." Tilting her head towards the door, Nao, was careful enough to not damage herself any further this time. She had herself covered with the blanket again after their flirtatious guest had left them a few minutes ago.

"How are you doing, Nao?" Mikoto asked.

"Okay, I guess. But it started to bleed again and now I'm waiting for Sagisawa-sensei to have a look at my wound."

"Why didn't Natsuki look at it?" Mai tossed in, but soon regretted her question when she saw the rosy color on the cheeks of both girls.

"Anyhow, we're here to pick Natsuki up for school and to invite you two to the first official HiME-Round Table."

"The what?" Natsuki asked annoyed.

"I think we've all noticed that last night's events were different and after discovering that there are so many of us out there, I believe we should meet up and talk with the other girls."

The childhood-friends exchanged some looks before Nao answered her excited friend.

"I guess you're right, although the name is stupid. Let's just wait until tomorrow, so that I can attend, too."

"As you wish." Mai smiled at her and added "We've got to go now. First period is about to start. Take care." She grabbed Mikoto by the hand and walked over to the door. "Are you coming, Natsuki?"

The raven-haired girl once more looked at Nao with worried eyes.

"Don't give me the puppy-look. You have to go to school. I am fine by myself. Sagisawa-sensei will come over in a bit and change the bandage and when you come back I'll be here waiting for you and probably hungry like a wolf." She winked at her all-time serious friend to reassure her that it was okay to leave her alone.

"I'll head to the city after school and buy some food, but I'll hurry so that it won't take too long." Natsuki didn't want to sound cheesy, but she felt really guilty for not protecting her younger friend.

"That's sweet of you, but please drive with caution and not like a racer for once."

"Okay you two lovebirds. It's about time," the red-head teased.

"Love-what?!" Natsuki's head shot around.

"Just joking. Let's go."

"Bye bye, Nao." Mikoto shouted from outside the room, already on her way to down the stairs.

"Bye."

And with that the girls were gone and the room fell silent again. Nao couldn't help but smile about the cuteness of Natsuki.

_Such a caring idiot..._ The fatigue suddenly came back to her like a hammer and she decided that it couldn't hurt to grab some more sleep.

The day had been fairly uneventful, which made the hours fly away even more merciless. The school-bell eventually sent the students home and Shizuru knew that it was about time to face her fate. She couldn't hide forever. So, she went outside a few minutes after the last lesson was over. Her pulse started to increase with every step she came closer to the black limousine that parked in the usual spot. One of the tinted backseat windows was rolled down, slowly revealing the stony face of her farther. His eyes were hid behind dark sunglasses, but Shizuru didn't need to see them to know that he was furious. She could feel his piercing stare all over her body and she had trouble to maintain her composure. Putting on her usual smile, she reached out for the door handle but her father just ignored the smile and kept his icy behavior.

Natsuki was on her way to her bike when she noticed the huge limousine in front of the campus. But being deep in thoughts about the things she wanted to buy in the grocery store down the street, she didn't bother to give the vehicle any second thought. Only the light scentof water-lilies drew her attention towards the car again. The chestnut-haired beauty was standing in front of the backseat-door, one hand already on the doorknob when Natsuki shouted out to her. Shizuru was obviously startled by hearing her name and turned around to the biker-girl. As their eyes met, Natsuki fell silent in an instant. There it was again; the perfect smile under and ocean of desperation and agony. The crimson eyes seemed so out of place or maybe it was the smile that didn't fit. She started to walk over to older girl when she heard a deep voice mumbling.

Shizuru froze when she heard Natsuki call her name. Her head shot up and again they were wrapped in one of those magical moments. Only the cold voice of her father brought her down to earth again.

"Get inside that car, now! Or I swear to god you'll never see the sunlight again!" Every word was sharp like a dagger and Shizuru knew her father long enough to tell that this time she really was in trouble. She answered Natsuki with a shake of her head before tearing her eyes away from her. Shizuru knew that the raven-haired girl would probably try to stop her and so she quickly got inside the limousine.

"Drive," she ordered before rolling up the window. Natsuki had indeed attempted to catch up with her but luckily she was faster.

"Who was thegirl?" Her father said in a dangerous voice.

"A friend," Shizuru replied just as bitter.

"Friend? I've never seen her before."

"She's new." She knew that she couldn't trick him, but at least she could try.

Her father made an invisible notice to keep an eye on that black-haired troublemaker before informing his daughter about the measurements.

"You're grounded. Forever," he started.

"Thought so."

"And you're going to announce the engagement today. The invitations for the party in two days are already printed. But I'll make sure to have one more printed for your new friend. What was her name again?" His voice sounded almost friendly but Shizuru knew that tone already.

"Natsuki... Kuga Natsuki." Her voice was low and beaten. She just couldn't compete with this man.

"Summer-Hope." He grinned evilly. "Pretty nice name. I'm sure she'll be very happy to congratulate her new friend on this matter." With a now content grin and short laugh, he turned away to look outside the window. Shizuru had to fight against the tears with all her might.

_I'm not going to cry in front of you. You can take away anything from me but my dignity._

The huge building at the edge of the campus ground was empty when Midori entered the main-hall.

"It seems the director has taken some time off. It sure must be busy to control evil..." She turned around and left with a knowing smile on her lips. Not too far away Nagi had witnessed the scene from the branch of a nearby tree and couldn't repress a grin.

"Soon, you shall get all the answers my white princess." He whispered into the leaves. "Now now, time to give our sweet couples a visit. I'm sure Akane and Akira can't wait to protect their dearest ones at all costs..."

After the boy had disappeared, the kid-director showed herself behind the window of her bedroom.

"We're doing the right thing, aren't we?" The question wasn't meant to be answered and Fumi knew that there were no words that could bring Mashiro peace and so she remained silent. "This time we'll make it right. They will be strong enough when it starts." She knew that she couldn't do anything but train the girls. _Whether__I'm training devils or angels isn't up to me... I have to have faith in them._

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><p><strong>AN:** I'm sure everyone has noticed that I got myself a beta. HollowPoint is so nice to look over my chapters and point out the errors I miss due to second language handicap. So, a big thank you to him for sacrificing his time for my story. This chapter also took me forever because I try to improve my writing a bit (in case it doesn't show XD) Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed it.


	17. Gathering

"_**If you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything."**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mai HiME or my beta HollowPoint...sadly**

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><p><strong>Chapter 17: Gathering<strong>

"Don't make such a face, mutt," Nao mocked as she and her raven-haired friend were walking along the school corridor towards the cafeteria.

"I'm hungry! And I am not a mutt, Spider-woman!" came the grumpy respond.

"True. Apparently, you're more like a wolf. I swear I don't know anyone who would be so pissed about simply being hungry."

"It's called starving!" Natsuki's voice was more growling than speaking, but Nao had learned to understand this unique language of her friend long ago.

"Fine. Still you are acting like a little baby. Or should I say puppy?" Of course, the pink-haired girl would try to tease her friend even more now, but Natsuki wasn't in the mood to go berserk on her. Outside of her empty stomach, she still felt guilty about what happened to Nao and so she kept her voice calm.

"Can't help it. Not everyone is capable of using magic, Houdini." With hands in her pockets, Natsuki started to walk ahead.

"Stop calling me strange names. I didn't do anything like that," Nao shouted after her before catching up.

"Might be true. But still, yesterday you couldn't even leave your bed and today your wound has almost healed completely," The raven-haired whispered for making sure that none of the passing by students could hear them.

"Haven't you noticed last night?" The voice of the pink-haired girl now held a serious undertone.

"Noticed what? That you tried to strangle me with your arms again?" Natsuki couldn't help the remark on Nao's cuddling attack from last night.

"Hey, don't be so mean. I was only taming your nightmares." She gave her older friend the cutest smile and it magically worked. _Maybe, I am Houdini after all._

"I can't remember having any." The mumbling was accompanied by a light blush.

"Yes, because you felt safe in my arms." Nao's eyes were sparkling over Natsuki's reaction and her heart skipped a beat when she saw the rosy color on the other girl's cheeks.

"Whatever. So, what is it that I haven't noticed?" Trying to brush off the embarrassment, the raven-haired girl got back to the original topic.

"The star." The lime-eyed girl made a slow pause and walked over to one of the windows in the hallway. "It has grown."

"Are you sure?" Hearing the news, Natsuki abruptly stopped. Nao turned around and gave her friend a worried look.

"Yes." She pointed her finger at the blue sky. The moon was only lightly visible so that the purple star was even more radiate next to it. It almost looked like a comet now. "Maybe this has something to do with the rapid healing of my wound." She lightly rubbed on the fabric of her uniform in the spot where she had been hurt the other night.

"Let's hope Mai's gathering will bring forth something useful then." The conversation wasn't cut off by Natsuki words, but by the fairly loud growling of her tummy.

"Okay, let's go and grab something to eat. Lunch-break should be long enough to make you happy again." The other girl chuckled.

When they entered the cafeteria, they were met with a jumble of voices and the smell of burgers. Most of the tables were already filled with eagerly munching students who were loudly gossiping about the usual teenager problems. The childhood friends exchanged an annoyed glance and started to walk over to lunch-bar on the right. There was a little queue, which caused the raven-haired girl to nervously look around as if she wanted to find a way around the waiting students. Her emerald eyes looked so helpless that Nao had to repress a squeal. _This is so cute. Maybe I should teach her some commands later. She should at least learn the basics like 'sit' and 'bark'. _She found her thoughts so funny that she didn't even notice that she was laughing out loud. Only when the other girl stared at her with curious eyes, she noticed her odd behavior. She waved the short laughing fit off and distracted her friend by reminding her that they were next in the row. Natsuki immediately swirled around and ordered a hamburger with a vast amount of fries, which she drowned in mayonnaise, while Nao ordered some ramen.

"You really love the American kitchen don't you? I have no idea how you manage to eat such greasy stuff and still look so gorgeous," Nao said, trying to sound nonchalantly, yet she was still observing Natsuki's reaction over the hidden compliment. But the raven-haired girl was much too busy drooling over her prey to give any second thoughts to Nao's words and simply stated that she has a good metabolism. The younger girl could only sigh in defeat. She had to admit that the words of Shizuru had somehow fired her up to be a little more offensive towards Natsuki, but still the compliment didn't reach the brain of a hungry Natsuki.

_I'm sure she was a dog in her previous life. _Once more Nao glanced over and saw her friend hovering over the fries with shiny eyes. _Yes, a dog for sure._

After paying for their meals, they started to look for a free table. Finally spotting one in the left corner of the crowded cafeteria, they started to walk over side by side. When they put down there tablets the volume suddenly was pitched up by the loud and piercing voices of screaming high-school girls. Natsuki was so startled that she at first even thought about the possibility of an Orphan-attack but when she looked towards the origin of the ruckus, her eyes caught sight of a certain chestnut-haired girl in her typical white student-council uniform. The doors of the cafeteria swung open once more after Shizuru had entered, revealing a group of young girls that were screaming and jumping all around her.

"What the...," Natsuki muttered before her jaw dropped over the unreal sight.

"Fangirls," The pink-haired girl explained to her baffled friend. "Yeah, the new Kaichou is quiet famous." She inhaled deeply before speaking the next words out loud. "Let's go and help her out." Nao tilted her head to look into Natsuki's eyes for making clear that she meant what she said. But the raven-haired one had to reassure herself once more.

"Are you serious?" Her husky voice was full of disbelief.

"Sure. She looks troubled."

The raven-haired girl glanced over to the Kyoto-born and saw her politely smiling towards her fans.

"So, you see it too?" The relief was audible to her best friend but Nao didn't want to go into this topic too deep.

"Hm?"

"That she's not as happy as she pretends to be."

"Guess I have seen her in the wrong light. She doesn't seem so bad." There was a comfortable silence between the childhood friends for a moment, before the squeaking started off again. "Okay, Kuga. Now let's go over and scare those brats away." Natsuki just nodded in agreement.

"Oi, Fujino!" Nao said in a strong voice that startled not only the fangirls but also Shizuru. "We have some business with you." Giving a death glare to all of the girls in the group, she added. "Alone." Slightly grinning and thereby trying to let the crimson-eyed woman know about their plan. Thankfully, Shizuru got the deal and played along.

"As you wish," she answered politely with a knowing glance in her deep red eyes.

"Hey, who do you think you are? How dare you address Fujino-sama in such an inappropriate way?" A jade-haired girl with grey eyes, supposedly the leader of the group, built herself up in front of Nao.

"For now, we are simply your upper-classmen, but we can easily become your worst nightmare." The icy and husky voice of Natsuki cut through the conversation like a sharp knife and let the girls freeze in an instant. Nao couldn't help but grinning even wider when she saw the terror in the eyes of the scaredy-cats. She bent over to the grey-eyed one and whispered something into her ear. The face of the girl became abruptly pale and her knees began to shake. After Nao was finished, the leader just turned around and went away wordlessly. The rest of the group looked after her in awe but they were still not moving. And so, Natsuki made a huge step towards them and gave them the death glare of their lives. None of them bothered to stay a second longer and so Shizuru was suddenly free of her personal plague within a minute.

"Thank you," she said in her Kyoto-ben.

"No problem. Nao figured you would like to spend some time without having those screaming monsters around you," Natsuki explained to her and Shizuru couldn't hide the surprise over hearing that the pink-haired girl was the initiator of her rescue.

"Why thank you, Yuuki-san."

"Nao is fine. No need to be so formal after I've saved your ass. Guess we're even now." She gave Shizuru a knowing glance and the older girl assumed that Natsuki must have told her about her powers and the battle. She couldn't help but being relieved that the lime-eyed girl had come to accept her. Truly glad about the freedom, she got herself a salad at the lunch-bar and sat down with the girls. Natsuki fell silent again as soon as she started to chomp down the burger. Nao and Shizuru could only exchange a slightly disgusted look but decided to let the girl enjoy her meal.

"So, since when do you have lunch at the cafeteria? I've never seen you here before and figured the student-council gets its own four-course meal." The lime-eyed girl tried to sound as friendly as possible, but her words always had a rough edge. _Getting along with her doesn't mean I have to particularly like her, right? _Her thoughts caused a small smile that underlined that sociable tone of her voice.

"There is no such thing. I usually have lunch with my parents." Shizuru answered politely, her eyes never leaving the salad in front of her.

"Huh? So, you leave campus during the break? Heck, it sure must be great to have rich parents that send you a chauffeur for every step." Although she tried to sound nonchalantly, Nao couldn't hide the envy in her voice completely.

"It's not. Believe me." Shizuru's voice became low while her right hand was clenching tightly around the fork. The respond somehow rubbed Nao in the wrong place. She didn't know why, but she suddenly remembered why she had prejudices against snobs.

"What is it about you spoiled kids that make you so ungrateful? Do you have any idea how many people here would love to live your life? Do you even care?" The anger broke free like a volcano. Nao had no idea where it came from, but she suddenly couldn't control her voice and thoughts so well anymore.

"You know nothing about me." The Kyoto-born was just as upset when she finally lifted her head to pierce her opposite with a flash of crimson. Natsuki was slowly coming back from her burger euphoria and prepared herself to step in if necessary. She could understand why Nao felt that way, but she also knew why Shizuru would react like that. Although she found it a bit strange that the discussion heated up so fast. Normally, Nao wasn't one to go off like that so easily. For now, Natsuki decided not to interfere since she was sure that one of them would get the wrong idea if she'd try to reconcile the situation.

"I do know a lot about people like you. I've seen you on campus every day for the last couple of years, always smiling, surrounded by fangirls and sheltered by your parents. You have no idea how lucky you are at all to actually have parents!" The sound of Nao's fist slammed on the table was swallowed by the noises around them within a second, but it was enough to let Shizuru shoot up from her seat. She once more locked her eyes with the pink-haired girl, and Natsuki was sure that for a short moment the air between them was burning. Finally, afraid that this would end up in a fist fight she made herself ready to step in, but suddenly Shizuru lowered her gaze and relaxed her muscles.

"Of course. I better leave now." The sudden melodic sing song voice of the Kyoto-ben broke the tension like a soft hammer. The older girl didn't hesitate long and grabbed her tablet.

"Shizuru..., don't." Natsuki said, grabbing the wrist of the older girl. Of course, Nao was even more pissed about her friend taking the side of this stranger, but she didn't do anything outside of sending daggers with her eyes. But Natsuki buffered her piercing gaze with an I'll-tell-you-later-glance, signaling Nao that there was more to this girl than she might think.

"It's okay, Natsuki. I better go now. I didn't mean to bother you two. Thanks again for the help, Yuuki-s... I mean Nao." Her voice sounded strong, but even Nao could sense the weakness in her words. And so the pink-haired girl gave in and decided to let the older girl of the hook for now.

"Oh come on. Don't be such a sissy. If you wanna hang out with us you have to get used to my character. I didn't mean to scare you away. I'm just hot-tempered. So, sit down and cheer up. I am not used to being friends with such stuck-up girls like you." Nao winked at Shizuru, who was too surprised to give any back talk. She let her crimson eyes wander between the two underclassmen for finding out that the lime-eyed actually was serious.

"Fine," she said and sat down again.

"Ne Shizuru, do you have time after school?" Natsuki asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Trying to keep the answer short and without explanation Shizuru just stated that she'd be busy.

"Too bad." Natsuki said.

"It won't take long. Mai organized a little meeting for all the HiME to discuss some stuff. Just in case you haven't noticed, but the last battle was a lot tougher than any other so far and the star has fairly grown since then," Nao tossed in but made sure to keep her voice low, so that nobody from the other tables could hear them. "So, you're in?" She added in a demanding undertone.

"Alright." The older girl sighed in defeat. _Guess I need to lie to my father again._

After they had finished lunch the girls got back to their classes. Shizuru was thankful that her fangirls were still out of sight.

_It sure is good to have bodyguards around. She couldn't help but chuckle over her own thoughts. A gathering of all the HiME. I wonder..._

Once the last period was over Natsuki and Nao met up at the big glass hall. When the raven-haired girl came closer to the circle in the middle she noticed the many little ties around it.

"What is this?" she asked Nao full of curiosity.

"If you're in love with somebody, you write the name of that person on a ribbon and then you tie it around the rail."

"And that helps?"

"I wouldn't know. Maybe if you're lucky." She grinned. "Why? Wanna write down my name? I feel so honored, but you could have simply asked me out." She winked, but deep inside she had to admit that her own words stung.

"Idiot!" Natsuki responded while a blush rushed to her cheeks. Nao just smiled before turning around and walking away. The raven-haired girl looked after her and back at the rail again. Natsuki was about to follow her best friend when her fingers lightly touched the metal of the railing when she swirled around. The little tap shot through her body like a bullet, finding its destination right in her brain. Her thoughts were immediately dragged into a vortex of images. She saw Shizuru standing in this hall, praying next to the railing, wearing a torn purple yukata. To Natsuki the scenario felt like she was dreaming. Her vision was a bit blurry and colors seemed to be unreal, as if the saturation was too low. Suddenly, the praying form of Shizuru slowly turned her head into Natsuki's direction but her face didn't look like the Kyoto-girl at all. The usual crimson eyes were brown and dull and her mouth was distorted to an evil grin. Her whole face was close to some sort of psychotic mask. She now lifted her arms and spread them as if she were to reach out for something. Natsuki could see that the hands of the other girl were stained with blood.

'You're all mine...' The voice sounded like a demonic growl and with every step the figure came closer, the face started to change its form into a devilish grimace that made Natsuki's body shake to the bone. She started to scream but not a sound seemed to come out of her mouth. Her vision suddenly went black again and she could feel her lungs pumping. A familiar voice seemed to be calling for her from afar and after a few more seconds the voice was so close that Natsuki threw her eyelids open.

"Natsukiiiiiii!"

"Jeez, Nao! Don't scream at me like that. What's wrong?" Natsuki said as if nothing had happened.

"The hell I would know. You stood there like a maniac with closed eyes and didn't respond to my voice or touch. Shit, I even slapped you in the face! What the fuck happened? You scared me to death!"

"That explains the pain in my head." She rubbed over her right cheek, feeling the warm spot where Nao must have hit her. "I don't know. It felt like having a nightmare."

"But you weren't asleep..." The pink-haired girl stated in disbelief.

"I know. I touched the rail and suddenly my vision went black."

"What did you see?"

Natsuki deliberated whether to tell Nao of her scary encounter or if she should keep it to herself just a little longer.

"I don't really know. It was mostly a blur." Choosing the second one, she shook her head once more as if to shake off the images.

"Maybe your dreams and visions have something to do with that star too. Maybe it is some sort of catalyst." Natsuki just looked at her friend, not sure what to think of the solution. "Let's go to the meeting. We're already late. Maybe somebody knows something." Nao added and grabbed Natsuki by the hand to make sure that her friend doesn't another attack.

When they arrived at the old doors of the old library, the other girls where already waiting for them. Natsuki searched for Shizuru's face. She needed to see her face to make sure that the figure in her dream was just a weird and sick product of her mind. When she found the Kyoto-girl standing next to Midori, she was relieved to find her deep crimson eyes without a hint of craziness in them.

"You guys are late," Mai stated and gave them a scolding glance. Nao could sense the uneasiness in Natsuki's behavior as the girl probably didn't know how to explain her short catatonic fit and decided to sweeten the blow.

"Yeah sorry, we got carried away enjoying our time alone," she said in a playful tone.

"Ugh, just spare me the details." The response of the red-head was just as playful, but the answer had the wished effect and Mai let them get away with it. Midori, Yukino and Shizuru smiled over the comment, while the blonde busty girl just turned away.

"Can we start now? I don't have time for this." The blonde said, still turned away from the group.

"Sure. Natsuki, Nao, this is Haruka Suzushiro. She's in the Executive Committee along with Yukino and she saved my ass two days ago." Introducing the unknown HiME, Mai was cheerful as ever.

"Well, I guess you saved mine too then. Thank you," Nao said.

"That's what power is for. To do the right thing at the right time. It's all about keeping the border," the blonde responded.

"It's order, Haruka-chan," came the shy comment of her brown haired friend.

"That's what I said, Yukino."

Most of the group cracked a brow over the strange couple, only Midori responded to the words.

"Well, let's see if you're right." The young teacher with her mahogany hair neatly tied into a pigtail, took a big envelope out of her bag. "I've done some research on the whole HiME-stuff..."

"Wait, let's go inside the library first. It's a bit dangerous to talk about such things outside. Some people might be eavesdropping," Mai said while letting her eyes wander along the treetops.

"But the building is shut down," Midori said irritated.

"Not if you have the right connections." The jangle coming from a set of keys accompanied the words of Nao too perfectly. Natsuki looked just as dumb founded as the rest of the group when she spotted the keys in her hand. "What? Don't give me such a look." She leaned over to whisper into the raven-haired girl's ear. "I have my ways..." The air softly tickled Natsuki's ear and sent a shiver down her spine while the heat was rising the other way around right to her cheeks. Nao only smiled in silence. She once more took Natsuki's hand in hers to lead her inside. At first the raven-haired girl was a bit irritated about the action in front of the other HiME, but for some reason it didn't feel wrong. Nao's fingers softly entangled hers and a wave of warmth seemed to be floating right through her. Until now, she somehow hadn't realized how grateful she was to have the younger girl back in her life. For the last years there had been nothing other than loneliness and pain, but ever since she came here and got the one and only person she had ever trusted back, she could finally feel her heart beating again. The gesture of simply holding each other's hands meant so much more to her in this moment and she wanted her precious friend to know how grateful she was to have her by her side. Gazing down at their entwined hands, her lips started to form a smile. It was only for a brief moment, but Nao instantly noticed the unfamiliar change in Natsuki's expression No words needed to be said because there simply were none that could describe the silent content both of them felt right now. The pink-haired girl's heart wasn't racing at all. It was pounding strong and steady. She was sure that from now on something between them had changed. She was glad that they weren't alone right now because she wasn't sure what she would have done. The need to take the beautiful girl with these stunning emerald eyes in her arms was almost driving her crazy, but she wasn't sure if an embrace would be enough to satisfy what she really longed for. And so they just held each other's hand while walking into the library. Shizuru had observed the moment from the childhood friends from afar. Feeling the tension, she could only assume that Nao had taken her advice for real. But for some reason, the image pained her. When she saw the happiness in Natsuki's eyes, she started to feel dizzy. Her eyes wandered to the pink-haired girl and suddenly strange sounds echoed in her head, slowly forming words in the familiar hissing voice. _'Ssss... She'sss taking her away from you... ssss... Kill her.'_ Shizuru was so shocked about the product of her mind that she felt the strong need to get away from here immediately.

"Whoa, I didn't know that they still have books in here. It's beautiful." Midori's eyes became wide when she saw the mountain of possible hidden treasures in front of her. The hall of the library was gigantic. The walls of were wallpapered with dark brown bookshelves filled with millions of books from the bottom up to the ceiling on every side and in the middle of the hall was some weird construction that looked a bit like a big clock or compass. The sunlight shone through the narrow but high windows. The rays of light revealed the multitudinous little dust particles swaying through the air. When the history teacher got closer to the bookshelves on the right, the typical smell of old books intoxicated her mind. "Why is it shut down? Outside of the little layer of dust it seems useable to me?"

"Who knows... This academy has way too many secrets," Haruka said from behind her.

"Fujino-san, are you coming?" Mai asked as she noticed that the Kaichou was falling behind.

"Umm, it's already pretty late and I have things to take care of. Maybe you guys can tell me the important facts tomorrow?" Before waiting for an answer, she turned around and went away.

"Not very cooperative, is she?" Midori commented.

"Shizuru..." Natsuki looked after the chestnut-haired girl with worried eyes.

"She already said that she has things to do and since we were late, she probably had to leave by now. She'll be okay," Nao said in a reassuring voice.

"Of course, she will. She's my strongest after all." A well-known voice suddenly echoed through the huge hall. It seemed to come from everywhere but only in a blink of an eye, the young white-haired boy stood on the hands of the huge clock in the middle of the library.

"Nagi!" Natsuki spat out the moment, she spotted him.

"Hello, Nat-chan." He looked down at her and saw her hand in Nao's "Tsk, tsk. You never seem to learn your lesson." His words were followed by an unreadable but knowing glance.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Nao tossed in.

"You'll see for yourself soon enough my little princesses. For now, I am just here to break up your meeting. I know you think you can dig things up from the past but I can assure that you won't find any useful information in my home."

"Your home?" Haruka barked at the boy.

"Call it whatever you want," He bluntly responded.

"So, it's not true that there are twelve of us and that we're gathered up in this academy?" Midori said in a calm but strong voice. But Nagi answered her with another question.

"This tiny piece of information won't help you, will it? I know you have only scarce information."

Midori clenched her hands to fists in defeat.

"It's not your fault. I just made sure that there is no record this time. So, if you would be so kind and leave my house for now? I am sure your attendance is needed outside of this library." His eyes flashed red for a second.

"This time?" Midori repeated to herself but was torn out of her thoughts by a loud screaming coming from the outside.

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><p><strong>AN:** Woot, that was a fairly long chapter and I am sorry for torturing my beta HollowPoint so much. Thanks again. He's kind enough to also reread my other stories and beta them of course we've made a deal and so I'm gonna write a NatTom story in the future. Right now, I need to focus on this one because the chapters are getting longer and the secrets slowly getting revealed. We're not yet close to the end but we're coming closer the realize of the big drama ;-) Hope all of you still enjoy the story


	18. Newborn

"_**I understand that there is nothing I can do. I can't be what she needs as long as she needs you."**_

**Disclaimer: Sunrise...what else can say.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 18 – Newborn<strong>

Natsuki and Nao exchanged a worried glance and with a short nod they started running outside followed by the other HiME. When the raven-haired girl swung the doors open, the sunlight left her blind for a few seconds. But after she had blinked away the distraction, she was quick on taking in the situation. The continuing screams led her eyes to the big black shadow that was circling around a girl in a middle school uniform. Before the Ice-HiME could react, Midori had materialized her element and was already lunging forward. But she never reached the attacked girl as she was stopped by a huge frog-like mecha that blocked her way and sent her flying backwards.

"What the...?" Midori said while rubbing the back of her head in pain.

"You are not allowed to interfere." A deep voice answered the unfinished question to the astonishment of the other HiME, who took a battle-ready position by spotting the owner of the voice. A girl in a ninja suit with dark green hair was standing next to the robot.

"Another one..." Natsuki said in disbelief, unsure if she should do anything or if it would be too dangerous at this rate, but the screaming cut through the sudden silence once again and Midori was already back on her feet. "Don't you see that she needs help? Move!" The young teacher said while turning around for some kind of feedback. She found Mai's eyes, but the reaction was not as expected. "Mai, what's wrong? Aren't we going to help?" She asked her student with a questioning look on her face.

"It's her..." Mai whispered.

"Hm?"

"The girl that's taking Yuuichi away from me."

"Shiho?" Nao mumbled with a puzzled look on her face.

"Who's she?" Natsuki directed her question at her best friend, who seemed to know something.

"She's in my class. Her name is Shiho Munakata. She has started to get real attached to Mai's boyfriend lately." The lime-eyed girl explained while giving her busty friend another concerned look.

"He isn't my boyfriend anymore..." Mai tossed in with an unusual edgy tone in her voice.

"Mai..." Mikoto looked at her red-haired friend with worried eyes, but Mai just hung her head.

Haruka and Yukino silently watched the conversation from behind before the enthusiastic blonde clenched her fists.

"Nonsense," she said annoyed.

"Haruka-chan..." Yukino's voice was weak.

"Personal problems should not interfere with the safety of this school and its students." As she spoke out the words, her huge hammer had already materialized in her hands. "Hephaestus!" The griffon let out a deafening high-pitched scream as it shot down from the sky like lighting before hitting the earth like a hammer. Everyone's eyes were focused on the blonde HiME now. "I won't stay back and watch a student get hurt just because somebody who hides her face behind a mask tells me so," she said in a strong voice.

"This is not your fight." The ninja-girl said while getting ready to defend herself if necessary.

"It's brave of you to stand alone against seven of us with such an attitude. But we only wanna help." Natsuki tossed in, trying to ease the tension.

"She's not alone." Unexpectedly, another figure came out of the shadows of the trees in front of them. A huge yellow tiger-like creature followed her closely.

"Hirugashi-san..." Natsuki muttered, her voice filled with incredulity.

"Natsuki, you know her?" The lime-eyed girl asked her friend.

"She's in my class. I've talked to her once or twice," was the short answer.

"What's wrong with you guys? You're HiME too. We are supposed to fight these monsters!" Midori said as she tried to talk some sense in the newly discovered HiME again.

"This thing is not a normal Orphan." The ninja-girl sighed. "Haven't you noticed, or have you simply forgotten?"

"What the heck are you talking about?" It was obvious that Haruka was about to snap, looking at how tightly her hands were clenched around her weapon, but the hand of Yukino on her back seemed to have a soothing effect on her aggressions.

"Just stay back and see for yourself." The girl with the short brown hair said while peacefully petting her growling Child. "Shh, Harry. It's okay." She whispered into the yellow mechanic ear.

Natsuki once more turned around to check up on her friends. Mai was still staring at the ground and didn't bother to look up, while Mikoto was pulling on her right arm, Haruka and Yukino were standing side by side in the shadow of the huge griffin, only Midori was still in a battle-ready position. Another scream followed by a thud turned the attention back to the attacked girl and her predator. She was now lying even farther away from the group, which was probably caused by a blow from the flying shadow that was getting ready to start the next offense. The body of the light pink-haired girl with the odd looking pigtails was shaking in fear as the monster swept up. Natsuki couldn't stand still any longer and was about to call out Duran, although she knew that the gap was now far too huge to get there in time. But suddenly Shiho's head shot up in panic.

"Yes! If it's for Onii-chan!" The voice of the desperate girl echoed through the air. Her hands were covering her ears as if she wanted to deny her own words. The shadow-beast instantly changed its form into a dark crane-like mecca and built itself up behind her with shining red eyes that immediately focused Natsuki and the rest of the group until it found Mai. Its eyes were now staring at the busty red-head with a dangerous glare.

Inside the library Nagi was smiling to himself. "Completion." He whispered.

Meanwhile outside, a strange kind of tension was building up ever since the bird-monster had started to focus on the busty red-head and Natsuki wasn't sure if something might happen in the next seconds, but out of the blue the library door fell shut with a loud bang that blew away the hostility and the atmosphere abruptly was back to normal again. Natsuki noticed the small glance that the ninja-girl and Akane exchanged before they both wordlessly turned around to make their leave.

"Oi! Wait!" the Ice-HiME shouted after them, not ready to let them go without an appropriate explanation.

"What is it, Kuga-san?" Akane asked politely while turning around.

"Where are you going now? I mean, I think we should talk." Quickly correcting herself, Natsuki sounded as serious as ever.

"I don't think so. We all have gone through this before, haven't we?" She looked at Akira and waited for a reassuring nod that she immediately got. "So, for now we don't have any unfinished business here." With that they both turned around once more to pick up the lost looking octopus-head and without looking back they started to walk away, leaving a bunch of baffled HiME behind.

After a short discussion whether or not to go after them, Midori had decided that she needed more time to find background information on what they had just witnessed, and since Mai was still acting a little odd, Nao and Natsuki decided to go back to the dorms for now and give their friend some privacy. After all, there was not much they could do for her at the moment. Yukino and Haruka also had wordlessly left as soon as the new HiME had gone, so the meeting was over anyway.

On their way back to their room, Nao tried to find some reasonable explanation for the strange situation, but neither she nor Natsuki believed in any of her ideas. When they entered the apartment they were met with two white letters placed on the wooden floor. The raven-haired girl bent over to pick up the one with her name neatly written on it and so did Nao with the one addressed to her. While Natsuki just stared at her name on the envelope, Nao had already opened the letter and found a card inside of it.

"Invitation?" she said aloud before opening the card and reading it.

When Natsuki heard the word, her heart started to pound heavy. She already knew what was written inside of it without opening the letter, but she still had some hope left. Even if it was only to betray herself a little longer.

"That idiot," she mumbled, unaware that she was thinking aloud. Nao noticed the reaction of her best friend and looked at her with worried eyes.

"You knew that she is going to marry Kanzaki?" she asked carefully, not wanting to confuse the black-haired girl any further, who's head shot up in surprise.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to say this out loud," Natsuki said lowly while avoiding Nao's glance.

"Since when?"

"She told me the night you got hurt." The black-haired had no idea why, but suddenly she felt guilty for not telling her best friend about it.

"I see," was the short response that was followed by an uncomfortable silence. Nao couldn't bear the sight of Natsuki looking outside the window with her sad lost puppy eyes and so she finally spoke again. "Are we going?" She tried to sound as nonchalantly as possible.

Emerald eyes were fixated on the blue sky, unconsciously counting the little clouds as if she wanted to reassure herself that the world outside was still normal. "She's making a mistake." Her voice sounded as if she was still talking to herself, but when she suddenly turned around to the pink-haired girl with a desperate look in her eyes, Nao knew that there was more to her friend's words than only worry about a person who gets married too early in life. "Nao, you know where she lives, right?" It was rare to hear the black-haired girl talk to her with so much emotion. Still, given the fact that Shizuru was the reason of the distressed look in those stunning green eyes, Nao couldn't say that she was happy to be part of such scarcity. Before she could think any further the raven-haired girl abruptly swirled around completely to bring her body closer to Nao. And as to underline the significance of her plea, she lowered her head to look directly into the lime eyes of her opposite. "Please, tell me. I need to talk some sense into her." She breathed into the pink-haired girl's face.

"Natsuki...," Nao whispered with a pained look in her eyes, her lips were now only inches away from the desired girl's mouth. But she knew that Natsuki didn't know how much impact this intimacy had on her.

_You don't, right? I know you don't know that you're breath makes me dizzy. That your eyes make me tremble deep inside. That you're words alone are able to make my heart skip a beat. That you're touch sends shivers down my spine... And here I am, knowing all of this and still wanting you more than anything. I am so close to you and yet so far away. Because you're asking for her and not me. Your hand in mine doesn't mean the same to you. Oh believe me, I know. Being wrapped in each other at night is nothing more than an act of best friends to you, when it is the reason why I can't sleep at night to me. Because I don't wanna miss a single moment of having you so close. It's my only chance to hold you, to protect you without putting up the masquerade of only being your best friend and when the sun rises, I always pray for giving me just a few more seconds in this serenity. But it never listens. It always rises, night after night. And you never see how much I feel for you, day after day._

Natsuki could sense the uneasiness in Nao's eyes and brought a bit more distance between them. But when the other girl still didn't answer her, she just broke the eye contact and started to gather some things.

Nao felt paralyzed and could only watch the actions of her friend wordlessly, but when the raven-haired girl grabbed her key and helmet and started walking towards the door, she snapped out of her thoughts.

"Wait...," she called after the raven-haired beauty.

Natsuki immediately stopped dead in her tracks, but was afraid to turn around again. She heard the sadness in the voice of her childhood friend and was afraid to look her in the eyes again. She wasn't an idiot, she saw the pain in her eyes but she had to go. She couldn't let Shizuru do something so stupid and although she had only known her for a few days, she could feel that there was a bond between them that she couldn't ignore.

Nao started searching for a pen and a piece of paper when she noticed that the other girl didn't bother to turn around. After a few more seconds of staring at the back of Natsuki, she wrote down the address and the directions to Shizuru's home. When she finally rose up from her seat to hand over the note, the raven-haired girl had found the courage to turn around to face her. Her deep green eyes seemed to burn right through Nao. The pink-haired girl could feel her heart flutter under the intense gaze. Her movements somehow became automatic. She had no control over her actions anymore. She walked over to Natsuki, but her feet didn't stop at an appropriate distance, her mind had taken full control over her body. Her face was magnetically drawn to the older girl's. Only when she felt the breath of the other girl upon her lips, her body stopped moving for a short moment. To her, everything stopped moving in this very second, but once and for all she did not care about the things she shouldn't do.

_Please, don't move..._

She silently pled as she leaned in, pressing the piece of paper into Natsuki's hand while in the same movement she closed the last remaining distance between their lips. There was no force or power in capturing the other girl's lips with hers. It felt soft. It felt right and neither of them dared to move. For a short moment nothing happened. Nothing but perfect silence. And although this nothingness meant more to Nao than anything else in the world, she didn't want to push her luck any further. She knew she had to break the kiss instead of deepening it as she could sense that Natsuki had no idea what to make of her movements. Her hand still holding on to the note that she firmly pressed into Natsuki's left hand, she let her cheek rest against Natsuki's only long enough to feel the heat erupting from the emerald-eyed girl.

"Be safe... " she whispered before letting go of the note and walking back to the desk. There was no way that she could look into her eyes after her body made her state her love in such an intense way. She could hear the fumbling of keys before the other girl was gone.

Nao wasn't sure, but she thought she had heard a very low 'thank you' before the door fell shut.

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><p><strong>AN:** Sorry for the wait. This took a little longer than usual but I'm afraid this is reality from now on. I have new job and hence fewer time to write. Thanks to my boss, I had a day off yesterday and time to finish this chapter. I also wrote a new One Shot called "One Day" as kind of an apology, but beware, it's ShizNat. I needed some kind of balance to the NatNao in this chapter^^Oh and before I forget, big thanks to my Beta HollowPoint. He does a wonderful job and is very punctual.


	19. Heartbeats

"_**I'm holding on to something that used to be there, hoping it will come back, knowing it won't."**_

**Disclaimer: Mai HiME belongs to Sunrise and I am not Sunrise. I am night. I wish I would get a dollar for every time I mention this...**_**  
><strong>_

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><p><strong>Chapter 19 - Heartbeats<strong>

The whole way to the hiding spot of her bike, Natsuki had been nervously tracing her index finger over the edges of her lips.

_What was that...? I mean, I know what it was. I've heard of it before, well I have also seen it... Shit, I sound like I am coming from another planet... Okay, time to face the facts... It was my first kiss..._

The sudden realization hit her like a train and her feet stopped moving for a second. Again her heart started to race, forcing her body to pace up her breathing as well which naturally caused another wave of heat crawling under skin. _It didn't feel so bad though... But why... why would she do that... She can't be... It's not possible._

As much as Natsuki tried to word the feeling her thoughts were referring to, she couldn't bring herself to say or even think it. Deep down, she knew what Nao wanted to tell her, what she wanted to let her know. But right now, she couldn't think any further than reaching her bike, and so she started running the last hundred meters.

The roar of her bike's engine made Natsuki's heart beat in a steady rhythm again. She tried focusing on the street as best as she could instead of giving any more thoughts to the tingling of her lips.

When she reached her destination, her head was still spinning in a good balance of exhilaration and fear, only the amazement about the size of the Fujino Estate was able to occupy her thoughts with something other than the thoughts of her best friend's lips upon hers. She couldn't help but note that the Fujino's probably lived in a world of their own; a rather big world.

The closer Natsuki got the more she knew she wasn't part of this private universe. A high steel fence to keep any unwanted guest outside marked the borders of the property.

_...or probably to keep secrets inside._

She parked her bike in front of the entrance before she took her helmet off, descending from her bike in one graceful move. Walking over to the big wooden door, she couldn't help but feeling tiny and insignificant.

_Wow, this is large enough to even invite some Orphans to the wedding ceremony. _

She had to smile over the funny image of monsters in suits inside her head, but it also reminded her of why she was here. Without any further hesitation, she rang the doorbell, which made a sound as if a whole orchestra would play a serenade. It wasn't really any surprise that the door was opened by a maid. She had expected that kind of stuff by now and had to say that she could somehow understand why Nao had her prejudices.

"What can I do for you?" the maid with dark brown hair that was tied to a strict pigtail, said to her in the most polite and pleasant voice one could imagine.

_No wonder Shizuru talks the way she does._

"Umm, I would like to talk to Shizuru." Natsuki felt a bit embarrassed about her rough and dark voice in direct comparison to her counterpart.

"I suppose you mean Young Miss Fujino? Do you have an appointment?" The reply was underlined with a perfect smile.

"Young Miss? Appointment?" The raven-haired beauty couldn't help but be confused. "I just want to see Shizuru."

"I am sorry, but if you don't have an appointment I'm afraid I can't help you. Fujino-sama is very busy with the preparations for the marriage ceremony and..."

"The hell she is," Natsuki growled in annoyance.

"Excuse me?" The maid was obviously not used to such language, but the biker-girl had no intention of wasting any more time over courtesies, so she just pushed the startled one aside and walked inside the house. She took a little time to take in her surroundings and for the first time since the door had been opened, she noticed the familiar scent of water lilies that filled the room. Just when Natsuki was about to call Shizuru's name out loud, she could hear the melodic voice echoing through the mansion. She spotted the crimson-eyed beauty on the second floor of the main hall that was designed in the style of an old mansion. The maid was still calling after the raven-haired girl. It eventually got the attention of the newly engaged woman.

"Natsuki?" Shizuru said aloud.

"What's wrong, Shizuru-sama?" A girl with jade-colored hair, who stood next to the Kyoto-beauty tossed in. At first, Natsuki didn't recognize her, but after taking a closer look, she remembered the screaming fangirls in the cafeteria and she was supposedly the leader.

_But what the hell is she doing at Shizuru's house?_

"Oi, what you're doing here, little terrorist?" Natsuki growled without giving a second thought to her words.

"Watch your tongue, Kuga-Natsuki." The girl with grey-eyes responded with an ice-cold voice.

"Oi, Shizuru. What is she doing here?" Natsuki's words echoed heavily trough the hall and so did Shizuru's following silence.

"I am her maid of honor." Tomoe had a big grin on her face by blurting out the news.

"You're what?"

"I take it you don't know that Shizuru-sama is going to marry the most honorable boy in-"

"I do know. That's why I'm here. Shizuru!" Her eyes focused on the chestnut-haired girl again. She made a short pause before continuing in a calmer manner. "I need to talk to you. Do you have minute?" She tried to completely block out the attendance of the annoying brat and the slightly angered maid that was still glaring at her from the side.

Shizuru locked her eyes with Natsuki's and for just a split second her perfect mask seemed to crack. Of course, this unusual behavior did not go unnoticed by Tomoe and the girl could feel that something just went utterly wrong.

"She obviously doesn't have time for chit-chat right now. So, if you'd please be so kind as to leave and-"

"Of course." Shizuru's warm voice let Tomoe fall silent in an instant. "Let's go talk somewhere else." The jaw of the jade-haired girl dropped, but Shizuru gave her a disarming smile. "Would you be so kind as to make sure that Natsuki and I get some privacy?"

"But your father wants to see you..."

"I'm sure you'll think of something to tell him, ne Tomoe-chan?" She tugged a strand of jade behind the younger girl's ear and was rewarded with a dreamy nod and rosy cheeks. "Thank you," Shizuru said, while pulling her hand back. But not without making sure to softly stroke along the warm cheek of the younger girl before walking away.

Natsuki had watched the conversation from afar and was astonished how manipulating the Kyoto-beauty actually could be.

_I wonder if I look just as dumbfounded as this little brat. Shizuru sure has some acting qualities. I'm not quite sure if I like it though... _

"Is Natsuki finished dreaming about me?" The familiar Kyoto-ben shook the emerald-eyed girl out of her thoughts instantly.

"Huh? Where did that come from?" A little blush was fighting its way to her cheeks

"Well, you were completely spaced out and still have some drool on your mouth."

"WTF?" The black-haired girl jumped in horror and put her hand over her mouth as fast as she could.

"Just joking." Shizuru gave her a warm and true smile and Natsuki felt disarmed once again.

"Joking... at a time like this... You're the strangest person ever..." A serious glance followed her words and Shizuru noticed that the maid was still standing close by, probably getting the wrong idea.

"Would you please follow me outside?" She needed to get at least some privacy and the garden was usually a good place to be alone for a while.

After Natsuki and Shizuru had left the main hall, Tomoe was about to go upstairs when a deep masculine voice was calling after her.

"Do you happen to know where my daughter is, Marguerite-san?"

The girl stopped dead in her tracks before she slowly turned around. Mr. Fujino was only a few meters away from her, but still, she didn't hear him coming. Despite his tallness, he was quite the sneaker. The black suit and his dark hair only made him more imposing and suddenly the girl felt very young and helpless.

"Yes, sir. I mean no. I mean, I am not sure." Tomoe was a bit irritated over hear stuttering, she normally had no problem with lies, but this time something inside of her did want for Shizuru's father to find out. She would never do anything that could hurt Shizuru, but this Natsuki-person wasn't good for her, and if someone could put an end to this it would be him.

"Mh...?" Mr. Fujino took a little time and pierced the young girl in front of him with his eyes for quite a while. "You'd let me know if something suspicious was going on, right? I wouldn't be happy to find a new maid of honor for my daughter so shortly before the wedding." His words seemed to do the trick. The girl's eyes shot open in horror. Quiet content about the reaction, he listened to her words.

"And you're sure?" He asked in disbelief after Tomoe had told him about Shizuru's guest. The young girl only nodded.

"This is very unpleasant. I better take care of this little troublemaker right now. Shizuru has to be taught a lesson. This behavior can't go on. After all, she'll get married in two days." His words were a mere growl and suddenly Tomoe became afraid.

"I don't think that's a good idea." She mumbled.

"Excuse me? I don't think I need to get tutored by a brat on how to raise my child."

"I don't mean to mingle. I just think that such action could lead to problems with the wedding. Maybe it's better not to consult her right now. It would be a lot smoother when she's alone. The wedding is close, and this would be a good opportunity to let this Kuga-person know her place without Shizuru noticing." The words were floating out of her mouth without realizing the eventual consequences. Only when a sly grin flew over the face of the tall man, Tomoe understood what she had just triggered. She wanted to protect Shizuru, but she wasn't sure if this was anywhere near the original idea.

"Sometimes, I am amazed you're not a Fujino. Quiet the wicked one. I like it." He smiled and walked away, leaving back a terrified girl that wasn't sure if she should be happy or sad.

When Natsuki and Shizuru entered the garden area, the sun was shining bright and the sound of birds and little insects swayed through the warm air. The colorful flowers that were blooming around a big fountain emitted all kinds of beautiful scents. The magic of this location reminded Natsuki of her time in the Orphanage. She loved the warm summer days and sometimes wondered if she was not normal for missing the time back then.

"You're quite the thinker, aren't you?"

"Hm? No... No I was just..." She paused and let her gaze wander off to the blue sky. "Forget it."

"No, please. I'm questioning myself about what you're thinking when you have this dreamy look on your face all the time."

Natsuki locked her eyes with the crimson one for a short moment and knew that Shizuru was speaking the truth.

"Don't laugh, okay?"

"Never."

Natsuki let out small sigh before she started talking. "I was just thinking about if I might be strange... I mean not normal because I miss the time in the Orphanage."

"Wait, you're thinking you're strange because of that?" Shizuru couldn't help but chuckle.

"You promised you wouldn't laugh...," she said with a strange sadness in her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but you never stop amazing me. You're a real mystery to me. I mean, you don't ask yourself if you're not normal because you have the power to materialize weapons or because a huge mechanic wolf is following you around, but because you miss a pleasant time from your childhood. You have to forgive me, but that was really cute."

"I am not cute." She crossed her arms in defense.

"Oh, but you are." Although Shizuru didn't mean to torture the younger girl, she couldn't help the urge to tease her. Natsuki was such a sweet and innocent victim.

"Knock it off already! I just think that a normal person would miss the time with their family, although they were only my adoptive parents. I don't know anyone who would miss living in an Orphanage because with family you're never alone. Maybe I am just a loner after all." Her face was thoughtful once again and Shizuru could see that distant look from the cliffs again.

"Sometimes it's better to be alone. Family is not always as pleasant as people say. Trust me, I would know." She gave Natsuki a sad smiled before continuing. "I don't think it's abnormal to miss that time from back then because you weren't alone. You had Nao with you. A friend can be anything you need at times; be it family or lover, nothing compares to a true friend. You should remember to cherish that." The Kyoto-girl for once became serious. She didn't know that she had just hit a very sensitive spot, but she could sense the sudden uneasiness. By taking a closer look, she noticed the slightly rosy color on the other girl's cheeks.

"Ara, so Natsuki had a good time with Nao lately." Her words were automatically followed by a pleasant smile, but somehow it also triggered another kind of feeling deep down inside of her. She had to admit that she secretly hoped that this actually wasn't the case, but Natsuki's reaction taught her better.

"Umm, I am not here to talk about myself." The raven-haired girl turned away to hide her blush and to control her thoughts. After hearing Nao's name her mind went back to their 'moment' from before and her lips started tickling again.

"Always so serious. No wonder Tomoe was so freaked out after what Nao had whispered in her ear in the cafeteria." Shizuru tried to make the other girl feel at ease and thought a little distraction might be a good idea and she was right.

"Now that you mention it, I've never bothered to ask. What did she tell the little delinquent?"

"Oh, just that you've been in jail because of battery before you came to this school, and that she thinks that Tomoe would be your next target."

"Hm, sounds like Nao, but part of it might be actually true."

"I hope we're not talking about the jail part here."

"Whatever you like more," Natsuki said and gave away a very short smile that didn't go unnoticed by Shizuru. But before she could say anything to the rare occasion, Natsuki spoke again.

"I'm here to talk some sense into you."

Although the Kyoto-born girl should be used to the bluntness by now, she never stopped being amazed about the other girl.

"I'm afraid it's too late for this. The wedding will already be on the day after tomorrow."

"I know, Nao and I've got you're invitation. Can't say I'm very happy about it though."

"Invitation?" Shizuru's eyes hardened under the word. "So, father really did it after all..."

"Wait, your father invited us?" Natsuki had to admit that she hadn't thought of this possibility. She somehow had thought that the invitation was kind of a silent scream for help. But this fact seemed to shatter her logic.

"Hm? Oh, I guess so. He's probably inviting the whole school. He's so excited about his daughter getting married and everything." Shizuru tried to sound cheerful, but the desperation was forcing its way outside. Natsuki could sense that every word of it was a lie and she was fed up with it.

"Stop it already! I know you don't want this. Then just don't do it." The words came out of Natsuki's mouth like gun fire.

"It's not for you to decide." Her eyes were just as angry as her words.

"True... Only you can change it."

"No. It's not for me to decide either." The rage in Shizuru's eyes was now replaced by sadness. A look that Natsuki knew from herself. She knew what it meant to feel empty, and it was hard to swallow her anger, but she had to she wouldn't risk hurting the chestnut-haired girl any further. Shizuru could see the pity in the eyes of the raven-haired girl and she hated to act so weak. She hated to be pitied by her, so she tore her gaze away and turned around. She could feel the green orbs piercing her back, but there was no use in defending herself over this. She leaned her head back to look into the sun. The warm rays hit her face and she was glad that at least the sun will continue to rise day after day, even if her world would stop the day after tomorrow. A swarm of birds was crossing her sight. They were merely little black dots on an endless blue screen.

"Ne, Natsuki..." She made a small pause and waited for a reply, but the other girl didn't make a sound. Still, Shizuru knew that she was listening. "How do birds die? I mean do they feel it coming? Do they have a special place or do you think it just strikes them like lightning, while flying high in the sky looking down on everything, completely free and dignified..." She could feel her eyes becoming wet. "I don't want to die in this golden cage, Natsuki. I want to fly, waiting for the final fall to bring me back down to earth one day." She sighed. "Freedom. The word is so little compared to its meaning." The serenity of this place was almost sarcastic compared to her words. Somehow, Shizuru felt like talking to herself. Natsuki hadn't said anything during her monologue, but still, she knew that the raven-haired beauty had heard every word. She could hear that Natsuki was turning away and was about to make her leave. She didn't want her to go, but she knew it wasn't right. And so she just finished her one-sided talk in the hope of easing the mood of the other girl a bit and maybe to make herself feel somewhat comfortable. "But then... Maybe I just have to be strong for now. It might be just five or ten years before I can get divorced. After that, I might have inherited the families business and won't need Reito anymore. It isn't such a long time after all, right?" Although the question was meant to be a rhetorical one, Natsuki answered her.

"Ten years is an eternity in heartbeats."

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><p><strong>AN:** First of all: thanks to my lovely beta HollowPoint. He is never too tired to search for the right words with me. It's always fun to talk to you. 3 And for the story: I think within the next chapters we will enter the next - the main level - of the story and after that we will get closer to the end. I hope there are still some people left out there following this^^


	20. Nightsun

"_**How can you expect me to go on with life knowing my soulmate is with someone else?"**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mai HiME. Sunrise does.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 20 – Nightsun<strong>

A chill was running down the spine of the emerald-eyed girl while she walked along the shady tree line of the main campus. With hands in her pockets and head in the clouds, she didn't even bother to take a look at the clock though she knew that her ride home had been fairly longer than necessary. But the thoughtful girl simply assumed she would be at the dorms in time before curfew was due. Her way home had led her along the coast line, and she couldn't help but make a short stop at the huge cliff that was standing out in the ocean like a lonely giant. Sometimes she thought of it as if it was waiting for the sun to rise and set. As a silent watcher over the balance of night and day. And only now and then it was greeted by the pale stranger next to the purple star that illuminated the dark nights.

She had always wondered why the sun and the moon were so completely different. When she was still a child, she had thought the moon and the sun were the same. Only that the sun looked different during the nights. But in the Orphanage she was told that the sun and the moon are nothing alike. The moon was only a natural satellite of the earth, whereas the sun was the center of our galaxy. She had always loved her supposedly nightsun and hearing her teachers talk about it like that, she remembered that she had been very upset. She didn't want to believe that her light in the darkest nights was only borrowed by the sun. She didn't want to think of the beautiful pale illuminator as being dependent on that bright star. But when Nao came into her life as her new roommate and best friend her anger was soothed. Even today, she could still remember that one night where she was watching out the window, silently cursing the nightsun for its dependence. Nao had asked her what she was staring at. She had just growled that she was angry about the nightsun. At first, the pink-haired girl laughed about the words, but her friend could see that she was really torn up about the fact that the moon was nothing more than a satellite circling around the earth. She remembered that the lime-eyed girl came over to sit next to her, staring at the moon herself. After a while, the younger girl said to her that her mama had told her that the moon once was just like the sun; a bright star, shining throughout the universes with its lucid light. One day, the sun fell in love with its beautiful rays and called out for the moon to enter this galaxy. Just when the moon was about to pass Uranus and Neptune it happened to get by planet Earth. Intrigued by the beautiful surface it got too close and was captured by the strong gravity. The sun could not bear the loss and took all the light from the moon; making itself even brighter than before. From this day on the moon was unable to shine by itself and was destined to circle around the earth as a dark satellite. Only once a month the moon dares to look at the long lost lover and stops hiding behind the earth. The sun might still be in love with it since it sends its light throughout the galaxy, for allowing him to shine down on the dark earth once in a while. Perhaps it is a reminder of their secret love; perhaps it is just to remind them of its loss. Nobody knows for sure.

This was before the beauty of the moon was tainted by the purple star. But still, sometimes during the short moment when sun and moon hover closely above the horizon, never touching, always too far away, Natsuki wishes for this story to be true. The melancholy that nothing more than a touch of the horizon separating them has a beauty that can't be denied so easily. And after the nerve-wracking incidences of the last few days, she had hoped that the fresh and salty air would blow her mind free from the stubbornness of Shizuru and the recent interactions with her best friend. She had been sitting on the edge for a while, but her thoughts just wouldn't stop using her nerves like strings of a hard rock guitar that was playing the same song over and over again up to a point where she didn't even know if she was still sane. The more she thought about the events of the last days the more she got the feeling that something really bad was about to happen. It felt as if some kind of shadow deviously hung not only over her but over the whole city of Fuuka. Since Nao got injured during the huge battle, no other Orphans had attacked them and this mysterious white haired boy knew more than he let the girls know. That she was sure of. The library was still shut and there was no way of getting in there without drawing too much attention. She was also sure that if she tried to blast the door with the help of Duran, Nagi wouldn't be there. If he doesn't want to be found he just remains invisible. There was nothing much she could do but wait, although she would welcome any sort of distraction right now that she was getting closer to the dorms. It wasn't that she didn't want to see Nao. It was just that she didn't really know how to face her after all. She had to admit that she had never bothered to think about affection or love, but it seems that other people did, and she was a bit angry with herself that she hadn't noticed sooner what was going on. She had always thought of Nao as her childhood friend and the image of the little girl with a growling tummy still brought a smile to her lips, but just now she seemed to acknowledge that they weren't kids anymore and that sleeping in each other's arms is not always a simple act of friendship. She wasn't angry or anything, quite the contrary she felt flattered by the feelings of the lime-eyed girl, but she didn't know how to respond to them. Not right away at least, since she hasn't figured out what this was all about. She had strong feelings for the other girl. That she was sure of. She just didn't know if it was affection or friendship. But she had to admit that the thought of Nao's lips upon hers let her heart beat a little faster. She didn't want to jump to conclusions or rush things, but there was no doubt that Nao was the only person she felt completely comfortable with. There was a deep bond of trust and that was a feeling that must be cherished. During her years in the Orphanage she had learned that people like this are hard to find and she didn't want to do anything rash or stupid to hurt her precious friend. Maybe she just needed some time to find out if she is capable of having the same emotions. There was absolutely no doubt that the younger girl was quite the looker, and Natsuki was also smart enough to know that it wasn't considered normal for a girl to fall in love with another girl, but that was something she couldn't care less about. After all, love was such a mystery to her that she never believed in it to be simple. Love doesn't only apply to opposite sexes. She didn't know why, but she believed that love was far more than just a boy and girl attracted to each other. It scared her to have these thoughts on this uncharted territory, but the tingling of her lips and the thought of Nao waiting for her in their apartment left no room for escapism. She just hoped she really had the guts to talk about this delicate matter with the other girl without saying something stupid to hurt her best friend's feelings.

As the blue color of the sky slowly started to dissolve into darker shades, the large dome of the glass hall caught the last rays of sunlight and reflected them in the most colorful and shiny way possible. Natsuki paused for a moment to watch the beautiful play for a moment before she entered the dormitory. As her hand lay on the doorknob she silently prayed that her roommate wasn't there so that she had a bit more time to prepare herself, but when she opened the door to peek inside, she could see the pink-haired girl sitting at the desk. Her back was turned to her and she didn't turn around when Natsuki entered the apartment. She closed the door as silent as possible and practically tip-toed over to her bed.

"I'm not asleep, you know," Nao said in her usual nonchalant way and Natsuki was glad that the other girl started out with a bit of small talk.

"Ah yes, I just didn't want to distract you."

There was a long silence where the biker girl didn't know what to say or do. She still stood next to her bed with her helmet in her hands.

"You know…," Nao started to speak in a completely different tone. "You always distract me..."

Natsuki was so baffled about the sudden change of voice and topic that all her strength left her body instantly and as a consequence her helmet hit the floor with a loud bang.

Nao smiled an almost sad smile to herself. "I didn't mean it in a bad way, of course. I'm sure after what I did you've already figured out that my feelings towards you are more than just friendship."

"Nao, I..." Natsuki muttered, her voice was helpless and raw.

"Wait before you say anything. I need to get this off my chest for once." She inhaled some much needed air before she continued. "I have tried to deny it. It didn't work. I've also tried to fight it, but still when I think of you my heart forgets how to beat right. It's out of control, just like my mind when I lie close to you during the nights. I figure it must be hard for you to hear such things from me and I am afraid that you think I have betrayed you, but you have to believe that I would never do anything to hurt you. If I have crossed the line with the kiss I am sorry, but I need to hear it from you. Natsuki, ..." She turned around with sad eyes and teary voice. "I'm in love with you, and if this is all just my imagination you have to tell me right away. If there is no chance for you to return these feelings I wanna know."

Natsuki's throat felt like a dessert. She was not nearly prepared for a conversation that would go this far. Her hands started to sweat as she could feel her knees getting weak. She hated to see her friend so desperate and what drove her even crazier was the fact that she was the reason for all of it. She had considered Nao to have stronger feelings than friendship towards herself after the kiss but to hear it from her mouth while standing in front of her sure was something different. As much as she tried to speak nothing would come out of her mouth.

"Okay..." Nao sighed. "I suppose this was a bit too much. Forgive me my outbreak. I've known you long enough to know that you're such dense person when it comes to feelings, BUT I won't let go of this until you tell me so. It's up to you to stop me." Nao stood up from her chair and walked over to the still paralyzed girl. Her head only inches away from Natsuki seemed to bring the raven-haired girl back to life.

"I... I don't think I can do this," she muttered breathlessly. Nao stopped her movement right away, trying to hide the disappointment.

"I thought so. Forgive me then." Nao sighed. "Just one more thing... Please tell me it's because I'm a girl and not because of Fujino." Natsuki's eyes shot up in surprise when she heard the last words and Nao naturally assumed the wrong thing. "Oh god, please no...," she said while turning away.

"W...wait..." Natsuki felt completely idiotic. _Curse you brain for letting me appear like an idiot! If you would be so kind to reactivate my speech center I would like to tell Nao my real thoughts on this matter. _After she had cleared her throat twice, she once more tried her voice. "This is not about you being girl or about Shizuru." She paused to take in some air. "It's just that I think I need some time... to get used to this. I never really had to deal with things like emotions, but if it's you... I guess I am willing to try. I mean I do think you're beautiful, and of course I have strong feelings towards you, but I don't know where friendship ends and attraction starts..."

"I could help you find out." Nao winked at her and Natsuki blushed instantly.

"Idiot! I just told you that I need some time and..."

"Shh..." Nao placed her index finger over Natsuki's mouths to silence her for a second. "I heard you quiet well and you can't believe how happy your words make me. Of course, I'll let you take your time, but I won't stop flirting with you now that I know that you've got the hots for me." A sly grin followed Nao's words and to her delight she was rewarded with the cutest pouting face of Natsuki. She gave her a short peck on the cheek and got back to the desk.

"So, it's okay with you when I sleep in your bed tonight?" Nao asked with the sweetest voice.

"If you can control your hands..."

"Hands...," she mumbled with a smile. "Sure." Her eyes were shining and Natsuki was a bit afraid of what she had agreed to, but somehow she didn't feel the need to deny the request of her roommate and she just tried to smile back as good as could.

"Sadly, I have to finish this essay first. But the good news is that we don't have to go out hunting tonight. There are a lot of good things about having so many new HiME. We get more sleep, or time to together, or both."

"Stop it already."

"Okay, okay. Anyhow, Mai and Mikoto will go out tonight. We need to go on Friday night."

Natsuki was immediately reminded of the wedding and couldn't hide her anger very well.

"Ugh, don't tell me you really want to go there and congratulate her stupidity." Nao of course knew what her best friend was thinking by only looking at her.

"I guess, you're right. Let's go on patrol on Friday."

"Good." Nao smiled before she got back on her homework.

Natsuki got to the bathroom to get herself ready for bed. When she came back, Nao was still eagerly writing on the desk and so went over to the little kitchen to get herself a glass of water. For the first time after she had left the Fujino Estate she bothered to take a look at her cell and to her surprise she had a message from Shizuru.

'Meet me at rose-garden tomorrow at lunch. Shizuru.'

Natsuki peeked over to the pink-haired girl, but it seemed that she hadn't noticed. _Jeez, why am I acting like a hypocrite? But Nao's thoughts towards Shizuru make me feel like I am cheating on her or something... Ugh, this sounds like... Anyhow, there's no need for her to know. Maybe Shizuru just thought about my words and decided to blow this wedding off._

After two more hours of writing, Nao had finally finished her homework. When she walked over to the bed, Natsuki was already sleeping. With a light smile, Nao crawled under the sheets and laid her head next to Natsuki's. She made sure that her hands were not touching the sleeping beauty as she cradled her legs around the object of her moon was shining bright, reflecting the strong light of the sun to watch over these two girls during this last peaceful night.

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><p><strong>AN:** I somehow still manage to update regularly. It seems the new job isn't wearing me out completely. I have to say that I am bit disappointed about the decreasing review-rate. If the story starts to suck, tell me^^I promised myself not to bitch about reviews anymore but it's disappointing to see fewer reviews without knowing the reason. Maybe it's because I upload chapters randomly and not only on weekends but I don't see the point in postponing an update just for the sake of reviews. I think if people like it or dislike it they will tell me no matter the time. Okay, enough about that. I hope you liked the chapter. The tale about sun and moon came to me in a moment of silence. I have a lot of them lately. On a side note: I wrote a sick and dark ShizNat One Shot. I might upload it in the next days if I ever get satisfied with it. I've been writing on that piece for days and I am still not ready to show it to anyone. We'll see. Oh and of course beta'd by the HollowPoint although ff-net keeps messing up some things o.O


	21. Simple

"_**You and I were made for this. I was made to taste your kiss. We were made to never fall away."**_

**Disclaimer:****Mai HiME belongs to Sunrise.  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 21 – Simple<strong>

"Shizuru, sweetheart, would you be so kind as to meet me in my office in a second?" The voice of her father might appear to be friendly, but Shizuru knew him well enough to sense that this was nothing more than disguised mischief. Her heart was heavy as she opened the door to the big office.

"You wanted to talk to me, father?" She always felt like a little child inside this room. It was much too big for only one person, but her father liked big.

"Yes." He made a slow dramatic pause to rub his forehead with a pained expression on his face. "I was informed that you had a guest over today." The way he pronounced the word 'informed' was proof to Shizuru that either Tomoe or one of the maids had told him about Natsuki's visit. "I thought I made myself clear about that girl, Shizuru-chan."

"Oh, you did and believe me I-"

"Silence!" His words echoed through the room like thunder. The change in his voice from calm to raging hadn't taken long. "I don't like repeating myself. So, once and for all: You are not allowed to see her again!" The words were just as deadly as his glare.

"Very well. But that would have been fairly easier, if you wouldn't have invited her to the wedding." Shizuru tried to hold composure as good as she could.

"Well, let me correct myself then. You are not allowed to see her anymore outside of YOUR wedding. I know her type. She's a troublesome individual and..." His eyes pierced Shizuru with a knowing stare. "I know that you have some special preferences that need to be stopped before they get out of hand. But here I think the wedding will put an end to this. Once you are with the right man, you should live a life in dignity and be a good wife."

The words sunk deep into Shizuru's mind. She felt sick and could hear her heart scream in terror when she thought of the consequences of the marriage with Reito. _Natsuki was right, ten years is an eternity._ She needed to get some air, to think up a plan, to have a chance to get out of this alive before it was too late for anything.

After she had wordlessly left the office of her father, she took out her phone and sent Natsuki a text, asking her to meet her in the rose garden tomorrow at lunch. She didn't know why, but she somehow knew that the raven-haired girl was her only chance to get out of this. It was almost as if a voice was assuring her to go down this path. Just when she flipped the phone shut her father suddenly appeared right behind her.

"One more thing, my beloved daughter. I cancelled school for you tomorrow. There's no need to overdo things since the wedding takes place on Saturday. Use the day off to make the final preparations. You shall be a beautiful bride." He let his hand rest on her shoulder for a second before he went away.

_Puppet... You mean a beautiful puppet on a string... I have to meet Natsuki tomorrow, no matter what. I guess I again need Touku's help with that._

On the next morning, Shizuru was up early. She didn't sleep well and had no intention of wasting any time. After suffering from nightmares the whole night, she decided that lying around with thoughts hammering inside of her mind wouldn't help much. She wasn't even amazed that Natsuki appeared in her dreams, but what she was concerned about was the fact that the things in her dreams felt alarmingly real. In fact, she had known for quite a while that she felt different towards women, but she thought she had successfully banned these thoughts from her mind over the years. Yet, the dreams proved her wrong and she found it very disturbing to think of the emerald-eyed beauty this way. Especially, after giving Natsuki's best friend advice on how to get close to the person who had invaded her dreams just now. She really didn't want to think about that problem right now since there was a much bigger one called 'wedding', nevertheless she couldn't help but admit that the raven-haired girl was on her mind ever so often, and that she might have subconsciously not just teased her for fun. Even now, when she thought of the cute blushing face, it brought a smile to her lips; a true smile that she didn't have to fake at all. The realization hit her hard and she was ashamed of herself, having such feelings towards the other girl. Not only because it was inappropriate, but also because she originally wanted to help Nao on that matter. And now, she suddenly felt different about it. Now, the image of the childhood friends together pained her, especially given the fact that she herself might have to spend the next years with Reito while being so close to the real object of her affection. Her thoughts were racing and so was her heart. She had no idea why suddenly everything seemed upside down, but she could feel that something was off, as if her thoughts and actions are being manipulated. She had a ringing headache and she could have sworn that there was a constant hissing in the background of her dreams. The whole thing seemed too crazy to her to think about it any further and she just wanted switch her brain off for now. She had to convince Touku to lie for her once more and then she had to sneak out without endangering Natsuki with her actions. She knew her father, and she was sure that he wasn't afraid to bring some 'sacrifices' to have his ways.

School seemed to be just the right soporific for Natsuki, especially history was on her list of favorite sleeping times and if it weren't for Midori's loud and annoying voice, which constantly woke her up, she would have probably missed out on the meeting with Shizuru. Of course, she knew she shouldn't sleep in school, but her nightmares kept her awake at night and so she couldn't really fight the needs of her body. She had yet to successfully avoid Nao on her way to the rose garden for not giving any answers she didn't know herself by now. All she knew was that she had to go there to find out if her words brought Shizuru to terms.

Walking the hidden path through the woods, she once more felt captured in the magic of this place. She remembered her first meeting with the strange girl that tried to appear so perfect and happy on the outside, while in reality she was secretly crushing flowers in desperation. If it weren't for that garden, she probably wouldn't have come to know Shizuru and she wouldn't have had the chance to save her from this idiotic idea of her father. She wasn't one to believe in fate, but while waiting for the older girl, the thoughts that this wasn't just coincidence seemed to manifest in her mind. After all, she couldn't deny the fact that the Kyoto-girl was a catalyst to her visions and nightmares and every time she was near her, she somehow felt nostalgic. Maybe there was more to all of this and maybe it also wasn't a coincidence that Shizuru was a HiME too. Being completely wrapped up in thoughts, Natsuki didn't notice Shizuru appearing right behind her. Hence, she jumped in shock when she suddenly heard the soft Kyoto-ben next to her ear.

"Walking down memory lane, aren't we?" Shizuru whispered, sending a chill down the younger girl's spine.

_Shoot! Right on the spot! Really, this woman gives me the creeps sometimes._

"I wasn't," Natsuki lied, but Shizuru could tell that she had been right thanks to the bright red cheeks of the biker-girl.

"I'm glad you came," she said, not wanting to tease the younger girl any further. She wasn't here for flirting, plus, she had to be careful with her words and actions now that she was aware of her 'feelings'.

"Yeah, no problem," Natsuki stumbled, bringing a bit more distance between them. Somehow, she felt nervous around the taller girl. "So, why did you want to meet me?"

The question was simple and yet it was hard for Shizuru to find the right answer. Deep down she knew why, but she never was one to ask for help and she had a hard time admitting that Natsuki was right about the wedding. But since this might be her last chance, she finally spilled her thoughts.

"I believe you're right... Well, in fact I know you are. It would be a huge mistake to marry him just to please my father, but I don't know what to do..." She paused, thereby locking her eyes with Natsuki's. The familiarity of those emerald orbs irritated her and she lost her train of thoughts for a second as she was enchanted by the endless green.

"You have to tell him," Natsuki said bluntly as ever, ignoring the long eye-contact and dreamy gaze of her opposite.

"What? That I'm not going to marry the son of the prestigious Kanzaki-family because..." _I might be in love with someone else... _She had to stop herself from saying any of those thoughts out loud.

"Because what?" The raven-haired girl could see that Shizuru wasn't telling her the whole truth and she wanted to know what the Kyoto-girl was hiding from her.

"Nothing. I just don't know how to get out of this without disgracing my family."

"You might need to take that risk in order to save your own happiness."

"That's a huge sacrifice."

"Yes, but you were forced into this. This is not your fault. Maybe you can talk to your fiancé about it. I don't know him, but Mai said he's a nice boy. So, maybe he's willing to help you."

"You don't know my father. He's nothing of what they told you in the Orphanage about how a good father should be." She regretted her words in the same moment she spoke them out loud. But Natsuki's eyes told her that she had hurt her. She felt the need to embrace her and tell her that she was sorry, but of course she wouldn't do that. She had to admit that she had a hard time controlling herself around the raven-haired beauty. Her heart started to beat faster as she got lost in those sad green eyes again. The strange nostalgic feeling kicked in along with a low hissing sound. Shizuru tried to concentrate; she had yet to tell the hurt girl that she was sorry about her words.

"I'm sorry for saying that. It's hard for me to stay in control when I am around you."

"And that's your main problem."

"Oh, I'm sorry if I'm not well enough conditioned for you."

"That's so far away from what I mean..." She sighed. "I mean that you need to loosen up. You need to stop acting around others. You need to be yourself."

"I doubt that everyone would want to see a desperate scared girl."

"You're so much more than that. I know that you're not the perfect girl that you think you must be, but that's okay. Your real self... it's so much more beautiful than you think." The words had such a huge impact on Shizuru that she didn't even notice the warmth rising to her cheeks. She had a hard enough time to remember herself to breathe in and out.

"Ara, look who's blushing now." Natsuki teased the older girl by imitating the Kyoto-ben almost perfect.

Shizuru was at a loss of words. This girl completely swept her off her feet and she wasn't sure if she really wanted to fight back her feelings. Now she was sure that Natsuki was precious. So precious and unique that she knew that she would be stupid if she would let her slip away.

"So, why not taking a chance? It can't get worse than this, now can it?" The raven-haired girl added, trying to tear Shizuru out of her thoughts.

"If you say these things, they always sound so believable and simple."

"Because they are."

"It's not that easy. You're oversimplifying things."

"And you're overcomplicating them."

They both fell silent and simply stared at each other. None of them wanted to lose this battle of wills. The firm green eyes of Natsuki were trying to flood the fire in Shizuru's crimson ones. But before either of them could win the fight, the Kyoto-girl took a step towards the Ice-HiME.

"You want simple? I'll give you simple..."

Without hesitation she leaned in and locked her lips with Natsuki's. None of them moved for a second. Shizuru because she was afraid of losing this precious moment and Natsuki because she had been caught completely off-guard, so that she couldn't react at all. As the chestnut-haired didn't feel any resistance, she slowly started to part the soft lips of the younger girl.

Natsuki started to drown in the magic of this moment. She could taste the sweetness of the other girl's lips as she got lost in the scent of water lilies. The tenderness of the kiss flooded her body with a wave of warmth. It was now acting on its own as it shut her mind off. Her knees became weak, but they didn't give in and as if Shizuru had read her thoughts the chestnut-haired girl brought her arms up to embrace her, and brought her in even closer. Her heart was racing as she felt the movement of Shizuru's lips against hers. She didn't resist as the older girl parted her lips to slit her tongue into her mouth. It felt soft and warm and for some reason it felt natural. As if they had done this many times before. They seemed to melt into each other as their tongues were dancing. Natsuki instinctively brought her arms up to Shizuru's back, still not breaking the kiss. But in a blink of an eye, she suddenly found herself wrapped up in darkness.

She couldn't move as two yellow orbs were dangerously glistening in the distance. A deafening hissing echoed through her head. _'Shhss. You'll be the death of her... again... sss. Leave! Leave!'_ After the voice died away a beam of light led her eyes to a figure she had seen before. She remembered the bloody face with the dull and empty brown eyes and although she knew it was Shizuru, her mind refused to believe it. The stained girl was swinging a big naginata slowly walking away towards the yellow eyes as if they were calling out for her. The scenery started to blur and thousands of images started to appear in the darkness. There wasn't even a chance to take in all of them. It was like a movie-stream that showed random scenes from places that filled her up with a strange nostalgia. She could see her mother and those cliffs outside of the city. Even people from the school were flickering in her mind's eye. She saw the Orphanage and Nao and also Duran fighting against an army. The stream suddenly slowed down and she could see the church's school bell as it fell down. The campus-grounds had been destroyed and the howl of her Child was filling the scenery. She saw herself, holding Shizuru in a tight embrace while Duran and Kiyohime were tangled up in a battle. A huge explosion destroyed the church and the stream started to go faster again. There was an empty stage with a guitar, followed by a large mansion that looked a bit like the Fujino-Estate. Again the cliffs became visible, and again she found herself standing in a close embrace with Shizuru. The pictures flew by so fast that she had trouble in seeing more than just blurry edges. A lot of the following pictures showed herself together with Nao, although she couldn't remember any of the places. The stream started to fade into darkness and the last images were merely shadows. She wasn't sure but she thought she had seen Shizuru standing on a window at night with a bottle of pills in her hand. The stream died away in the blackness of her mind as soon as it came, but the terror of it remained in her thoughts. Her vision once more became blurry before it changed into the image of the rose garden. It looked exactly like seconds ago only that she was now seeing it from high above, like she was floating in the sky. She could see Shizuru lying in a puddle of blood next to the flower bed where they both had first met. Natsuki gasped as her eyes caught sight of the figure that stood beside the bleeding girl. Her mind refused what her eyes already knew. It was herself, hands bloody and head low. She closed her eyes in terror and attempted to scream but nothing came out. When she opened them again, she found herself back in reality. She was still wrapped up in Shizuru's arms, but her mind went on alert as she realized that their 'interaction' might have triggered that vision. She immediately broke the kiss and pushed Shizuru away. She could tell that the older girl obviously didn't know what just happened as she looked into those puzzled red eyes.

Afraid of having scared Natsuki away with her actions, Shizuru carefully reached out for the younger girl.

"Natsuki, I..." Her voice was weak.

"Don't!" Natsuki said as she took a step back.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't want this..." _'Sss... Liar... ssss' _The voice in her head was distracting her for a second before she let her arm sink. "I'm sorry, I made you feel uncomfortable. I better go now."

"Wait!"

"It's not..." _Telling her that it's not about the kiss wouldn't help, wouldn't it? Shit, this would be a lot easier if it wouldn't have felt so... good. What am I supposed to do now? The vision was clearly telling me that not the wedding is the problem, but me._ _Maybe I should stay out of it as much as possible... I don't even know what this was myself. It can't be that I have such feelings towards her..._

Shizuru was waiting for Natsuki to end the sentence, but seeing the struggle in the emerald eyes, she knew it was in vain.

"Give me one reason not to marry him," she said in a broken almost pleading voice.

Natsuki looked into those stunning crimson eyes and she could feel that something deep inside of her was screaming to Shizuru what she wanted to hear, but she knew that it would be wrong and she didn't want Shizuru's life at stake.

"For yourself," she said as cold as she could, trying not to break the eye-contact for making herself as believable as possible.

"It's not enough."

It was only a whisper but she could see the hurt in Shizuru's eyes and it pained her to no end to lie to the other girl; to turn her down while feeling differently. But she simply couldn't ignore what she had just seen in her vision. She had to do this to keep the Kyoto-girl safe.

Shizuru gave her one last longing glance before lowering her gaze and turning away. Natsuki didn't hold her back this time. She looked after the broken girl before starting to walk away herself.

The rose garden was wrapped up in silence again, swallowing the secrets of the two girls in one strong breeze.

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><p><strong>AN:** Ugh, long chapter. I am amazed how much I pulled out of my brain this week. Other than that update here I have started the NatTom I was talking about and the number of reviews blew me away. I wasn't expecting any. So the story maybe is worth a read. Just in case any of you is interested in unusual parings. It's called "Loving the Enemy". Okay, back to A Fine Line. Things are starting to become dangerous. Next chapter we will have the pleasure to attend a wedding...or maybe not...who knows...I wonder.


	22. Flicker

_"**In these dark, troubled waters lies a flicker of hopes fire****."**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mai HiME.**_**  
><strong>_

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><p><strong>Chapter 22 – Flicker<strong>

When Shizuru dared to take a look outside the window, she was greeted by an ocean of lights. The garden of the Fujino-Estate was decorated as if the Queen of England was coming over for the wedding. Shizuru had attended many parties at home, but not in one of them had her father put so much effort. However, Shizuru wasn't entirely sure if he was doing this because he was so happy about the wedding, or because he simply wanted to underline how important it was for the family. Either way the Kyoto-girl couldn't breathe easy. She felt like her life would end with the simple word 'yes', and being surrounded by all those bright lights showed her once more how dark it has become deep inside of her. She felt as if the last flicker of hope had been blown out by the words of the raven-haired girl, and the more she thought about her, the more she had to admit that she had deeply fallen in love. After the kiss her feelings seemed to have spun out of control, and she didn't know how to stop the vicious spiral. Nightmares had tortured her in her sleep and a low whispering seemed to constantly pull on her nerves. She spent the whole day convincing herself that it wasn't so bad, and that it was normal to be nervous about the upcoming events, but deep down she knew. She knew that something was about to happen.

The rain was knocking on the huge glass roof that had been installed for the wedding. Of course, her father had planned the whole thing through. He wanted the ceremony in the garden, and so it shall be. Something like a thunderstorm couldn't stop a Fujino. After two or three more deep breaths Shizuru slowly turned away from the ocean of lights under the sterile bell jar. She was a bit shocked to see Touku already waiting in the doorframe.

"Since when are you standing there?" The chestnut-haired girl asked. Not that it really mattered, but she still felt caught off guard.

"Not for long Miss. Forgive me, I just didn't want to interrupt."

"Interrupt what? My last moments of freedom?" Her voice was bitter and Touku's silence showed that it must be clearly visible to anyone. She took another deep breath and looked at the brown- haired woman. The blue eyes were still magnificent, and even tough Shizuru knew what she had seen in her maid all those years, she now understood that she had been silently waiting for another pair of eyes. She was afraid of finding those stunning emerald orbs while walking to the altar, but she was also afraid not to find them.

"It's about time Miss." A wave of pity swung in Touku's voice as she tore Shizuru out of her thoughts.

Walking down the stairway, the white satin of her wedding dress seemed out of place in the almost empty and dimly lit main-hall. She didn't want a pompous old fashioned dress, and since this was one of the few things she could decide on her own she wanted it to be modest and slimlined. Shizuru could already hear the music playing and knew that the time has come. When she saw her father waiting at the folding doors that lead to the garden, her heartbeat started to increase with every step. She could feel that Touku wanted to reassure her with an encouraging glance, but Shizuru didn't let the eye-contact happen. She had her gaze fixated on the floor, and only when she was a few steps away from her father, did she finally lift her head. Directly staring into the dark brown eyes of her father, she searched for something like happiness or maybe even regret, but she couldn't find anything. His eyes were hard and empty. Her throat was sore and she felt as if she was choking, however she didn't want to lose her last bit of dignity, and so she held his gaze with the same icy look while walking towards him.

"You look breathtaking, sweetheart." He said with a smile on his lips. For a short second Shizuru believed that he was actually really proud of her, but it was too late to pour oil on troubled waters now.

When he extended his hand, the crimson-eyed girl couldn't do anything but stare. She struggled hard, but eventually took it with a barely audible sigh. Mentally counting to three, she deeply inhaled and stepped outside. A perfect smile covered her agony when her father walked her down to the altar. She could see Reito standing there with a smile just as perfect as hers.

_So, this is it... My new life full of regret, lies and faked smiles... I guess... nothing much will change... outside of clinging to the hope to break free of course..._

She searched the rows of guests, unable to find the one she was looking for. Many students of the Academy which she knew by sight were filling the chairs, but after finding Mai and Mikoto next to Yukino and Haruka in one of the front rows, she knew that Natsuki hadn't come. And although Shizuru had considered this as a very likely alternative, the realization still hit her hard. Holding back the tears, she took the last stairs that led her in front of the altar. Her father let go of her hand after placing a kiss on it and sat down in the front row next to her mother, who was looking at her with an unreadable expression. Reito voiced a little compliment on her dress before they both turned around to face the Shinto-Priest. Tomoe was standing close by. Her eyes were a strange mixture of joy and sadness. To her it felt as if the whole Academy had been invited. Even the director was sitting in her wheelchair in one of the front rows.

As the priest started the ceremony, Shizuru suddenly felt a strange tickling in her neck. She cautiously turned around a bit and saw a familiar white-haired boy sitting on the branch of a tree with a sly grin. The pouring rain didn't seem to bother him at all as he was staring directly in her eyes. She forgot to breathe when she heard the priest already asking Reito the crucial question. He didn't face her when he answered with 'yes'. She could feel how the attention was now focused on her and suddenly her head seemed to become a canyon full of echoing voices. The well-known hissing kicked in like a rush of adrenaline and blew away all her senses. She couldn't hear the priest anymore as the voice in her head got louder and louder.

'Ssstoppp bowing to the useless...' was the only thing she was able to make out of the mush of words inside of her head. She slightly turned around once more in search for Nagi. He was still sitting there with a devious grin, but she could see his mouth moving from afar as if he was whispering into the air.

Her head seemed to explode under the loud hissing and she couldn't help but close her eyes in pain for trying to shut down the voice inside her head. When she suddenly felt a hand on shoulder, her eyes snapped back open again, looking right into the worried face of Reito. She could see his mouth moving, but still couldn't understand a word. The voice in her head was now screaming at her and within the next blink of eye it was gone.

'Obey' was the only word that lingered in her mind as she was slowly drifting back to reality. The word crept through her subconscious like a parasite as she slowly tried to control her breathing. She felt that something had changed; she just didn't know what until she heard her father yelling from behind.

"Will you please answer the Priest, Shizuru!"

"No..." The word came as an icy breeze that seemed to freeze the whole audience. The Kyoto-girl was shocked herself because she somehow couldn't control her thoughts.

_I must be losing my mind... Something is pulling me down in the depths of my consciousness... Something is taking control over me. _Before she could think any further, her mind went blank and her body became limp for a second. When she lifted up again, nothing of her old self seemed to be left. She turned around to face the audience with dull eyes and a dangerous grin.

"What on earth is going on with her?" Her mother said full of worry as the audience start to babble nervously.

"Whatever it might be! I won't allow it!" Shizuru's father jumped from his seat and started walking over to his daughter with raging eyes. "Shizuru! Stop whatever you're about to do and continue this wedding!"

The chestnut-haired beauty fixated her empty gaze on the yelling man. "I won't. Not ever again will I bow to your wishes." Her voice was hard and distant, yet intense. And it left no room for interpretation. "It ends here." Although it was merely a whisper it echoed through the night like thunder. "Kiyohime..." A menacing grin crossed her lips. The glass roof shattered into pieces as the eight-headed octopus burst into it from beneath the ground. A thousand shards mixed with the heavy rain fell on the screaming audience as they started to run for cover.

"What on earth...?" Her father said to himself in disbelief, staring into the multiple yellow eyes of the monster in front of him. One of the heads started to dash towards him, and he quickly turned around to run away. But Kiyohime had him soon trapped by encircling him with one of the heads. When he looked around for an escape his eyes caught sight of his daughter, who was slowly walking over to him.

"Shizuru, please help me. What is this?" The terror was clearly audible in his voice, but Shizuru only smiled viciously.

"It's punishment," she said without a hint of regret. Her father tried once more to break free from the mechanic cage but was knocked down by one of the huge hissing heads. When he was able to open his eyes again, he saw Shizuru standing above him in her wedding dress with a big red naginata in her hands.

Meanwhile in the forest around the campus of Fuuka Academy, Natsuki and Nao were walking along the paths in the hopes of finding some Orphans. They searched the area where the last big fight had taken place, but somehow they both knew that there was a much bigger enemy waiting for them than these dark monsters. They just didn't know when he would show up.

"This rain is such a pain in the ass. It completely ruins my hair," Nao said as she stared into the cloud-covered night sky. Getting no response, she brought her attention back to her silent friend. "You've been rather quiet today. I mean I know that you're not the most talkative person, but even for you it's odd."

"I'm sorry. I'm somehow a bit out of it," Natsuki answered as she walked ahead with hands in her pockets, trying not to make eye-contact.

The patrol had been an uneventful silent march until now. Usually, the tranquility was erased by a fight or by a conversation, but ever since the raven-haired girl got back from school today, she had been wrapped up in thoughts.

"Is it because of the wedding?" Trying to fill the silence, Nao attempted to guess what was bothering her roommate. But Natsuki still didn't respond. "Listen, if you wanna be there that badly, we can always get changed and go..."

"No, it's not the wedding... It's..." After finally saying anything, Natsuki was quick to stop herself from talking any further.

"Yes?" Nao knew that something was going on with her friend and she wouldn't let her off the hook so easily.

"Nothing."

"Oh come on, Natsuki. I've know you long enough to tell when something is bothering you."

The raven-haired girl stopped and stared at the ground. Thoughts were racing through her head. The kiss, the visions, the wedding... It was all too much. _I can't tell her about the kiss, can I? She'll assume the wrong things... I can't hurt her like that._

"By the way...," Nao interrupted her train of thoughts. "I was looking for you at lunch-break. Where have you been?"

_Shoot! _The emerald-eyed girl never had been good at concealing emotions, and right now she felt completely caught off-guard. "Ugh, yeah. I wasn't hungry. So, I didn't go to the cafeteria." She stuttered, not sounding convincing at all.

"Then where have you been?"

"At the restroom...?" She nervously rubbed the back of her head with her left hand as if she had to think hard about the answer.

"What? Is that a question or what?" Nao closed her eyes in disappointment and sighed. "You never were a good liar..."

Natsuki felt that her friend didn't believe her, and seeing the disappointment she was even more terrified to tell what had happened in the rose garden.

"I didn't mean to... I... I was with Shizuru..." She lowly apologized. The remorse was written all over her face.

"Do you know those moments where you already know the truth, but when it's said out loud it still stings?" Nao's voice was just as low as Natsuki's while the rain started to get heavier.

"I should have told you, but I was afraid that you would get the wrong idea and-" Natsuki panicked, but was cut off by Nao.

"You don't have to tell me everything... I just don't like to be lied to."

"I'm sorry..." Another moment of silence followed their words and only the rain was proof that time was still moving.

"It's okay. Enough apologizing for one day. So, I guess since the wedding is taking place, you weren't able to change her mind." Broaching the subject again, Nao tried to keep the conversation going.

"Not quite." One-syllabically as ever Natsuki walked ahead again. It was getting colder with every second as the rain mercilessly poured down on them while they aimlessly followed the small paths through the dark woods.

"Was she angry when you told her that you weren't attending the ceremony?"

"I didn't tell her." Natsuki's voice became cold again. Nao noticed the change but didn't stop asking.

"Why not?"

"What is this? A cross examination?" It suddenly burst out of Natsuki.

"What's your problem? I was just asking." Nao yelled back, searching the emerald eyes for an answer. It didn't take long for her to know that her fears concerning the Kyoto-girl had become true. "Natsuki...," she whispered in broken voice. "Did anything happen between the two of you?"

"Listen, it had nothing to do with you and I don't know myself why it hap-"

"Stop! Please... stop." Nao made a pause to inhale deeply. She felt like the air had been sucked out of her lungs. With empty eyes she stared at her opposite while she tried to voice her thoughts without letting her true emotion flow out. "I changed my mind. I don't wanna hear you say it. I can imagine." _I can imagine way too well... _"Is she in love with you?" She tore her eyes away for she was afraid to find the answer in those stunning emerald orbs.

"I don't know about her feelings."

Nao smiled a bitter smile. "But you should know about yours... Are you in love with her?"

Natsuki was afraid of hurting her friend any further, but after all she wasn't sure about anything anymore. "I don't think so. I mean I'm not sure. Heck, I don't even know what the word 'love' means."

"You know...," The lime-eyed girl said absent-minded. "I'm starting to think there is no universal meaning... I think it feels different for everyone. For me... it mostly feels like pain."

"Nao, I..."

Natsuki reached out for her friend, but Nao unconsciously took a step backwards, knowing that she couldn't bear the contact right now. The evaporating silence didn't get the chance to wrap up the two lost souls as the night was illuminated by a huge light, coming from the hill behind the city. It was followed by the deafening sound of what must have been some kind of explosion.

Both girls once more locked their eyes, this time in silent agreement. They knew who lived upon the city and were quick to call out Duran and Julia for getting there as fast as possible. The sound of rolling thunder could be heard in the distance as the rain started to increase again.

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><p><strong>AN:** Here you have it. We're getting closer to the end, but before that there will be more action and drama.


	23. Dreamscapes

"_**I want you to be with someone who makes you feel like I feel when I'm with you."**_

**Disclaimer: Mai HiME is property of Sunrise.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 23 – Dreamscapes<strong>

The huge mansion of the Fujino-family lay silent in the darkness as the rain of the oncoming thunderstorm crashed against its windows. The gate of the massive steel fence was closed, and if it wasn't for the fact that a colorful wedding should be taking place right now, one could have easily believed that it was just another ordinary night. But of course Natsuki and Nao knew better, and weren't fooled by the quietness that was wrapping up the place. They could feel that something strange was going on; something dangerous.

Natsuki shyly searched her friend's eyes. She still felt guilty about their conversation during the patrol and wasn't sure if another apology would help. They hadn't spoken a word on the way to their destination, but she knew that she had deeply hurt the other girl. And as much as she had hoped for the opposite, she found exactly what she was afraid of. The lime-green eyes blankly stared back into her emerald ones. It wasn't visible at first glance, but Natsuki knew Nao for a very long time, and she could see that something was different. The warm and encouraging look was gone, replaced by something she could hardly grasp. Although the pink-haired girl tried to conceal her feelings, her eyes betrayed her. Natsuki had seen the mixture of hurt and disappointment before. She knew how it felt if somebody you trusted betrays you, and she hated herself for doing this to her childhood friend. Denying that she was the reason for Nao's suffering wouldn't help. It was obvious that her actions had done something to their friendship, which she didn't know how to repair. As much as she wanted to apologize and to fix things, now wasn't the right time.

A bone-shaking scream could be heard in the distance, but the echo was immediately swallowed by the rain. Using their Childs to overcome the fence, the girls ran as fast as they could towards the mansion. As they stood in front of the main entrance Nao noted that the house looked empty.

"The wedding was probably held in the garden." The raven-haired girl responded lowly.

"Go ahead. I assume you know the way...," Nao said, very aware of the sarcastic undertone in her voice. Natsuki was at a loss for words, and for a few seconds she just stared at her roommate before eventually leading the way to the garden.

"Yukino...," Nao mumbled as they walked around the corner.

"Mh?"

"Don't you feel it? This is not real. Yukino is holding up a barrier."

Natsuki closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. She heard the droplets hitting the ground while the thunder rung in her ears. A lightning shortly illuminated the darkness behind her closed eyelids and after a few seconds she could faintly feel the power of the other HiME. Nao was right, Yukino was holding up a barrier. She silently cursed herself for not thinking of this opportunity earlier and started running. Nao followed closely. When they ran around the last corner their surroundings slowly changed. The image that was building up in front of them seemed so unreal as if they had entered another dimension.

"Oh my god...," Nao whispered when she saw the massive damage. Debris of the manor lay around the garden grounds, an ocean of nervously flickering lights, which were hanging from trees and lying on the grass, illuminated the unreal scenario. She found Yukino and her Child Diana standing near the flowerbeds. Hephaestus hovered closely above the shy girl's head in a protective manner, while Haruka was standing in front of her younger friend like a shield. Too stunned to move her feet, Nao kept on looking around, searching for any signs of an Orphan attack. But she found none of the hairy beasts. Finally, she spotted her friends and was more than glad to see them unharmed.

"Mai!" she yelled, drawing the attention of the other bystanders towards them.

When Mai turned around, Nao couldn't help but gulp as she saw the empty gaze of her friend. Mikoto was standing close to the red-head, her eyes just as torn. She could see a limp body lying next to them, but she couldn't see its face.

"What the hell happened...?" Natsuki said to no one particular. None of the party guests seemed to be inside the hidden area anymore. At least none of the ordinary guests. Actually there were a lot familiar faces standing inside the barrier, and somehow she wasn't even surprised. Ever since the Orphans had suddenly disappeared, she had felt as if something worse was about to happen, and here she had proof.

"I'm glad you decided to finally show up my sweet princesses. You are fairly late. I was afraid I'd have to ask my girls to bring you here."

"Nagi!" Natsuki spat angrily.

"Hello Natsuki-chan." He smiled much too cute for his dangerously glistening eyes. "Long time no see."

"What is going on?" Nao darted at him.

"It is about time for the lord to rise." He explained nonchalantly.

"What are you talking about? Where is Shizuru? What did you do to her?" The worry in Natsuki's voice stung Nao, but she knew better than to make a scene about that now.

"Me? Nothing. I swear. But you must understand that temptation is a dangerous force that can't be contained. I was a bit surprised myself to find out that our little pact had gone wrong," he said, looking directly into Natsuki's eyes.

"Pact?"

"Ah, right. The memories are still not back." He looked into the sky as if he was sending out a silent prayer and suddenly the rain stopped and the clouds vanished into thin air. The moon illuminated the night with an unreal light. "Just a few more minutes and all of you shall get your memories back. Although, I doubt they will be very useful when the force of the star kicks in. Once the catalyst enters the moon, the carnival shall start."

The girls looked into the night sky and saw how the purple star was slowly moving in front of the moon. It seemed to grow with every second.

"This can't be...," mumbled a very irritated and worried Midori to herself, while the other HiME just stood there with jaws dropped.

"What did you do to Shizuru?" Natsuki once more confronted the wicked boy.

"Haha, it's funny that you ask. She'll be here in a second. There was something she had to take care of first..." His words had a tone that the Ice-HiME didn't like at all.

"You won't get away this time! Duran Load Silver Cartri-"

"Sssilence!" The deafening hissing seemed to cut right through Natsuki's brain when she was about to blow up Nagi and his evil plotting. She instantly lost focus and even Duran started to wince. Shielding her ears with her hands, the sound brought her to her knees nonetheless. Nao was quick to jump to her side. When Natsuki looked up again with a pained expression, she saw the octopus body of Kiyohime next to the white-haired boy. At first, she didn't believe her eyes when they showed her the chestnut-haired girl standing in front of the huge snake-creature in her white wedding dress that was stained with dark crimson. It looked as if the usual stunning eyes had spilled all over her dress, leaving back two dull brown orbs. The image let Natsuki freeze to the bone. Memories of her visions seeped through her brain like sharp daggers. She closed her eyes again, trying to escape the hissing sounds.

When Shizuru saw the raven-haired girl, she suddenly felt as if the heavy mist that had been wrapping up her mind was lifted for the first time since the ceremony. A massive headache followed her trance when her eyes cleared up.

"Natsuki... you came," she said relieved, unaware of the chaos that surrounded her.

"You! You killed him!" Mai suddenly tossed in out of nowhere. "Kagutsuchi!" She looked furious with her eyes enraged. Nao had never seen her friend like that before. And just now, she realized who the person lying next to Mai and Mikoto was. "Reito...," she whispered as she stared at her red-haired friend with puzzled eyes. Kagutsuchi burst out of a huge puddle of fire, smoke was dangerously pouring from its mouth. Kiyohime was quick in shielding Shizuru from the sight of the dragon, knowing very well that the Kyoto-girl was the target.

Not really understanding the whole situation Shizuru looked at her hands in disbelief. Images fought their way through her still dazed head. Every blood spot seemed to be a piece of a puzzle formed by her mind. She needed a few second to understand that what she saw wasn't a nightmare but a stream of what she had done minutes ago. The realization hit her like a train. "Father...," she mumbled still staring at her hands in terror.

"Shizuru..." Natsuki tried to get back on her feet, when the hissing slowly left her brain.

By hearing the raven-haired girl's voice, Shizuru tore her gaze away from the blood. But what her crimson eyes caught seemed to set free another wave of chaos. Nao was standing close to Natsuki, her hands softly placed over Natsuki's as if she could shield the girl from the painful noises inside her head.

The red color of the Kyoto-girl's eyes faded again as her mind took in the situation. "So, that is how it is... That is why you didn't come...," she said with a cracked voice, while she was already drifting back behind a veil of darkness.

The light of the moon disappeared abruptly and the place went dark for a second. When the light came back, it wasn't the bright and soft light of the moon but the dangerous purple gleam of the star that had now fully covered the moon. Nagi's evil laugh broke the silence and the attention was completely focused on him now.

"It's a pleasure to be back," he spoke, his voice sounding completely different.

"Nagi, stop whatever you're doing to Natsuki," Nao screamed at him. When the light went out, Natsuki had fallen back to the ground, holding her head in pain.

"I am afraid I can't. I am no longer in control of her," he said.

"What do you mean?" The lime-eyed girl's voice was shaky and full of worry as she bent down to her hurting friend. Nagi laughed once more and pointed at the star. "The star has found its purpose and has sent me the power of the long lost Obsidian Lord." He paused and inhaled deeply. "This time we won't fail. This time I won't fail!"

"Stop talking in riddles for god's sake." Midori tossed in, not sure what to do about the situation that was unfolding in front of her eyes.

"God, won't help you anymore... This carnival will shape the world in the way I want it to be. Although, I am a bit disappointed that I lost my precious key Natsuki to the other side, don't you think, Mashiro-chan?"

"You won't get away with this." Unexpectedly, the child-director and her maid seemed to pop out of nowhere. Her voice was much more mature than her appearance. Midori remembered them to be guests of the wedding, but hadn't seen them since the attack.

"Mashiro-sama...," The young teacher mumbled.

"We'll see. I can't say I am disappointed with my weapons...," Nagi said with his new dark voice.

"Mashiro-sama, what in the world is going on? What are we supposed to do?" Yukino yelled full of fear.

"It's too late. You have chosen your sides long ago. All of you... I am afraid there's only one thing you can do, Sugiura-sensei." Mashiro said in a disappointed voice.

"What sides?" The mahogany-haired girl stared blankly at the young director. But before the lavender-haired girl could answer, Nagi did so. "Twelve HiME bound to twelve Childs. Each one extraordinary and unique, were born into this world only for the purpose to fulfill their destiny," he said calmly. "You even had the luxury to have a choice. Nobody forced you to choose my side."

"I would never choose evil," Midori responded.

"Right Midori-chan. You haven't. But not all of you have made the same choices. "

"Who on earth would willingly fight for you with the purpose to destroy this world?"

"It's not about decision. It's about desires; about temptation. The day you got your Child, you were tested. You didn't have to fight them with muscles or physical strength. You had to fight them with your heart, with willpower. Six of you lost that battle and will from now on be my army to descend this world into chaos. They are destined to fight and kill the White HiME."

The faces of the girls went blank when Nagi finally revealed the truth behind their powers.

"That's right my Dark Princesses. You have been feeling this for quite a while, haven't you?" His gaze wandered upon the faces of the lost girls. "It's time to show yourselves. Don't be shy. This world is soon over anyway." Patiently waiting for any kind of reaction, he finally gave in with a sigh. "So? No one to step up on their own?" He turned his head to the left. "What about you my precious, Shizuru-chan?"

"I... I didn't choose anything..." The stuttering in Shizuru's voice mirrored her inner torment perfectly. Nagi was right. Ever since Kiyohime had entered her life, she felt as if the darkness was slowly closing her in.

"Oh, I am afraid you did. Or am I wrong to think that you wanted to call off this wedding at any cost?" A wicked smile crossed the boy's lips. "Look around you? Wish granted."

"I didn't mean to kill anyone!" Shizuru screamed at him in terror and regret. Tears started to roll down as her eyes burned with crimson.

"Oh, but you have. You can't be picky about the fulfillment of your wish now, can you?"

"I..." Her mind was blank.

"Why don't you start fighting and thereby encouraging your companions to do the same?"

"Don't listen to him, Shizuru." Natsuki said with a painful expression on her face. "You don't have to fight just because he wants you to. You have a mind on your own. No matter what choices you made in the past. You can still make things right." Shizuru's head snapped up at the raven-haired girl. A warm smile crossed Shizuru's lips when her eyes met the emerald orbs. Kiyohime turned towards Nagi and all of its heads started to hiss at him.

"All of you can. Don't listen to him. We don't have to kill each other." Midori took the chance to give hope to their still unknown enemies.

"But my army will attack you. No matter what."

"Still, I won't kill anybody even if they attack me."

"Oh, maybe I forgot to mention that with every fallen White HiME the star will come closer to the earth... And once it collides, this world will be over. So what do you choose my precious HiME? Will you be wise enough to fight your friends or will you end this world with sweet idleness, willingly waiting for your own death?"

"There has to be another way... I won't bow to you," Natsuki said angrily with her teeth clenched.

"My my, Natsuki-chan... How can you be so loud-mouthed when you're the one who created this world?" the boy said viciously.

"I didn't create anything." Natsuki stood up straight again, her left hand was still holding her forehead in pain.

"All of you listen! I assure you this carnival will take place," Nagi proclaimed with a certainty that seemed to crush the hopes of the cursed ones once again.

"We won't fight. You can't control our minds," Shizuru countered, not ready to give up.

"Pity. Then I guess I have to give you a good reason to fight. I'm sure you've all had the feeling of a déjà-vu now and then. Well, this wasn't just coincidence."

"Nagi don't. You can control their Childs without doing this to them." Mashiro couldn't hide the desperation in her voice. She knew that Nagi would do anything to win this carnival, but to let these girls suffer all the memories of their past lives was pure torture.

"I know, but it's so much more fun this way. I thought you would understand, Queen of Hell," the boy said coldly.

"I won't let you win this time either." Mashiro's gaze stood firm against his words, but Nagi was sure that this time things were finally going right.

"We'll see about that," he said before snapped his fingers.

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><p><strong>AN:** We're getting closer and closer to the end of this Trilogy. There are only a few Chapters left before I'm going to cry my eyes out because I finally have to let go of this...


	24. Memory Lane

"_**Hold my hand, just one more time, so I can remind myself why it is that I can't get over you."**_

**Disclaimer: I think after so many hours of writing about this stuff, Sunrise should offer me at least part of the show.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 24 – Memory Lane<strong>

Dangerously rolling thunder followed right after the snapping of Nagi's fingers. The clouds drew back in from everywhere, sending heavy rain to the ground. The group of HiME stood motionless on the soaked ground, staring in the darkness with empty eyes. All of them were completely lost in the depths of their mind. Memories of their past lives were floating through their heads like a riptide, while Nagi was flashing dangerous glances towards a very upset Mashiro.

Natsuki's pulse was racing as her mind spun in circles. Her consciousness was speeding down memory lane at a rapid pace. The images of her nightmares turned out to be entirely real, and all the feelings she had lived through were suddenly back again. They overthrew her in one big wave of emotions. It was so much more than a single person could handle. So much more than a lifetime could contain. Tears rolled down her face as the suicide of Shizuru started to pull on her nerves once more, trying to swallow her sanity again. She could feel how she slowly lost control, however she couldn't do anything against it. The pain, the guilt and foremost the love seemed to eat away every clear thought. Bit by bit she got lost in the emotional struggle, unable to live through all of the moments again.

"Don't... Natsuki. Please stay with me this time." A distant but soft voice slowly made its way through her dazed mind. The raven-haired girl wasn't completely sure if it was real. Only the warm feeling of a hand against her skin made her believe this to be the reality. The touch seemed to be calling her back to the world of the living. Blinking the rain from her lashes, she brought her hand up against her cheek to place it over the source of the warmth. When she tilted her head she found Nao looking at her with teary eyes. Natsuki knew that the girl had suffered the same flood of emotions and still... Still she was here right next to her trying to bring her back to life, and to protect her from going insane again. She was more than thankful and gave the lime-eyed girl one of her warmest smiles. Of course, she couldn't hide the sadness and neither could Nao, but still what they had just now seemed so familiar and right.

Nao's heart beat wildly as Natsuki touched her hand before giving away one of her stunning smiles. She wanted to lean over and draw the beauty in for a passionate kiss, but the realization of why things were so complicated between them had hit her hard, and she wasn't sure if she could handle any more rejections. Natsuki was deeply in love with Shizuru. It was so obvious that Nao felt a little stupid for not noticing sooner, and even if there was the slightest chance that the raven-haired beauty had feelings for her too, she just couldn't compete. Not able to simply run away, she tried hard not to cry. She wanted to hate Natsuki for making her fall in love all over again, but she couldn't. All the things that had happened between them were the most precious memories Nao had, and she couldn't bring herself to hate somebody who had saved her life twice. All the love she held for the emerald-eyed girl wanted to burst out of her chest while she was so close, but her mind told her not to. She somehow knew that she would get rejected and she couldn't bear the thought. She'd rather live with the uncertainty than with the pain of knowing that she was only second choice. The memories once more reminded her why she hated Shizuru so much. In fact she was enraged when she thought of the things the chestnut-haired girl had put Natsuki through. And by far she couldn't understand what her friend saw in that crazy girl, but in this very moment she swore to herself that she won't allow the crimson-eyed bitch to do any further harm to Natsuki. If Nao couldn't be the one for Natsuki than she would at least be the one who would protect her at all cost.

Before she could think any further she was blown away by an unknown force. It was so strong that it sent her flying backwards into the collapsed row of seats. The crash was the first thing to break the silence before all hell broke loose.

The huge eight-headed snake built itself up in front of Nao, ready to strike again. Julia rushed to Nao's side, her sting dangerously swirling towards the purple monster.

"NAO!" Natsuki's face froze in shock when she saw her friend being attacked by Kiyohime. "Duran!" The mechanic wolf let out a deafening howl before it started to run to aid Julia. But Natsuki's Child never reached her friend as it was stopped by the yellow Child of Akane. Duran growled angrily at the tiger-like form of Hari, but the mecha kept blocking the way. Natsuki hectically turned around in the search of her classmate, spotting her next to the fountain.

"Akane! Get out of my way!" The raven-haired girl yelled.

"That is not your fight." Akane's answer was distant and monotone.

"What do you mean? Nao has been attacked! I have to stop this lunacy!"

"I am your opponent, Kuga Natsuki!" Akane said, sounding like a doll. The eyes of the girl looked empty, just like Shizuru's in one of her visions.

"She isn't herself, Kuga-san. She's controlled by her Child, and since Nagi had earned the power of the Obsidian Lord, he is the one in control of the Childs of the Dark Ones." The childlike-director suddenly appeared right behind Natsuki. Her voice was calm but serious.

"You mean...?" The Ice-HiME stared at Mashiro, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, Akane is one of them. She lost the battle of willpower. She gave in to temptation." The words sunk into Natsuki and her heart became heavy. She knew, but still she had hoped for another alternative.

"I can't fight her."

"You have to in order to save the world." Mashiro's voice was low but Natsuki understood every word.

"But..." She didn't know what to say. There had to be another way. She just needed more time.

"I'm sorry, but if you don't fight on your own, I'll make Duran fight..." Mashiro looked at the girl with apologizing eyes before she shifted her gaze to the big mechanic wolf. The red eyes of the Child flashed for a second, and in the next it attacked its supposed opponent. Akane smiled an evil smile and started walking towards Natsuki while Hari fought back Duran.

"Duran, no! Stop it!" The big wolf ignored her completely. "What are you?" Natsuki mumbled, blankly staring at the girl in the wheelchair.

"I'm the guardian of the White HiME. We have to win this carnival at all cost. So, if you don't want to lose everything, fight!" Mashiro let her eyes wander to the chair rows where Nao and Julia were still encircled by the huge purple figure. Natsuki followed the gaze and inhaled sharply.

_If I don't want to lose everything... _She kept staring at Nao and Shizuru, completely lost in her thoughts.

"Look around you. You can see it in their eyes. You know who's on our side." Mashiro's voice brought her back for a second and Natsuki took a look around. Yukino was standing a few feet away, looking at the loud-mouthed blonde with dull eyes.

"Yukino... why?" Haruka screamed right into her younger friend's face.

"I'm sorry, Haruka-chan, I just wanted you to notice me." The voice of the girl with glasses was shy and apologizing. Haruka could have even sworn that she saw a hint of regret in the eyes of her friend before Diana lunged at Hephaestus.

The barrier started to become unstable as the griffin attacked the Flower-Child of Yukino. Nagi saw the leaks and with another snap, lightening flashed down, loading the barrier with sizzling electricity. Mai and Mikoto just looked at each other in disbelief. The memories of their past lives seemed to have plunged them into an emotional chaos. Spaced out and not grasping the entire situation they didn't notice the dark shadow above them.

"Mai, watch out!" Midori screamed as she watched the attack from afar, but before she could even try to help her students she suddenly was attacked from behind. When she swirled around, she saw the maid of the director with a big scythe in her hands. Midori observed the eyes of the usually so friendly maid and called out Gakutenou.

"Fumi-chan! Why...?" For the first time emotions could be found in the voice of the child-director as she shouted out to her former maid. "You were supposed to fight for this world with me. This can't be..."

"Great plan, director. Even your own maid turned her back on you. How are we supposed to stop them?" Midori's words were full of sarcasm as she dodged the attacks of the crazed maid.

"A fight can only be won by killing the Child and its owner."

"WHAT?" Midori's eyes got wide.

"Fine with me! After everything you did to me, it is what you deserve! How dare you take my Onii-chan from me!"

"Shiho, stop! This is crazy!" Mai yelled at the middle-schooler as Yatagarasu shot down at her.

"Mai!" Mikoto was quick enough to block the first blow of Shiho's attack, but in the minute her feet touched the ground again, the little cat girl was blown away by the giant green frog mecha of Akira.

The barrier around the battlefield grew wider with another snap of Nagi. There was no need to draw attention by now. The boy was sure that his plan would succeed and he liked the dance of the HiME. The rain seeped through the electric wall before it hit the ground with a sizzling sound that was almost inaudible compared to the explosions and fighting noises of the mechas. None of the girls had fallen by now, but he was sure that it wouldn't take long. He was delighted that a few girls fought on their own without having their Childs controlled by him. It was so much more relaxing this way. Looking over to his favorite HiME, he saw the raven-haired girl fighting back Akane. It made him a bit angry to see that Natsuki was mostly dodging attacks instead of attacking.

_Well well, my little Natsuki-chan. I have to say I'm really a bit depressed to have lost you to Mashiro... However, the fight has just begun. There should be plenty of time to correct that unpleasant circumstance. For now, I'll just watch the chaos that you've created._

He turned his head to watch the battle that had started the carnival a few minutes ago with an uncompromising blow.

Kiyohime moved its huge body precisely, slowly closing in on Nao and Julia. The dangerous hissing was low but steady. Nao was furious, but she wasn't sure if it was the smartest idea to attack the monster right now. It was obvious that Kiyohime was gigantic compared to her Child. She had fought this battle before and she remembered the outcome very well. She wasn't afraid of fighting Shizuru. After all she had nothing to lose, but she knew that Natsuki wouldn't want them to fight. She knew that she would hurt her best friend deeply, and as much as she wanted to kick Shizuru's ass, she held back.

The snake had now completely encircled Nao and her Child. It was as if they were standing in the middle of their small private battle area. Nervously looking around, she wasn't amazed when Shizuru suddenly appeared out of nowhere, walking slowly towards her. Gracefully swinging the deep red naginata, the Kyoto-beauty had a calm but crazed expression on her face as she walked over to the lime-eyed girl.

"Fujino...," Nao whispered angrily. Her eyes pierced the other girl intensely.

"It's time to settle our little dispute, don't you think? You've poisoned Natsuki long enough. I can't let you mingle with our relationship anymore." Shizuru's voice was as melodic as ever, only her dull eyes were proof that her mind was blank. She pointed the peak of the naginata at Nao, and the heads of Kiyohime started to hiss in union. "Now... Shall we cut that toxic sting of yours, Yuuki-san?"

"I wonder who's the one injecting venom into Natsuki's heart!" Nao responded, unable to control the anger in her voice.

With a wicked smile, Shizuru lunged forward. Nao saw the attack coming and dodged the first strike without problems. She was more trained than last time, but Fujino wasn't the easiest opponent. The lime-eyed girl turned around in search for Natsuki. Finding the girl entangled in a fierce battle with Akane, she sighed before looking at Julia with apologizing eyes. Her Child turned around and started to shoot spider webs at the huge octopus-snake in the hopes of distracting the monster long enough for taking on its owner. Shizuru stood there with a perfect smile plastered upon her face. Patiently waiting for her opponent to get ready again, she started to aim for the younger girl as soon as Nao had materialized her element. The blows of the naginata were mighty and Nao had trouble blocking them. She didn't want to fight back, but it seems that sooner or later she'd have no choice. Seeing Julia get hit out of the corner of her eye distracted her for a second and gave Shizuru the chance to land a strike. Nao tried to dodge the attack in the last second but the sharp edge of the naginata cut in the flesh of her right thigh. Her jeans stained darkly as the blood ran down her leg. She couldn't repress a whimper as she fell down to the ground. She covered the wound with her hands, but the blood ran down her leg nonetheless. She opened one eye slightly to see if Julia was somewhere close to help her, but soon got disillusioned when she saw her Child buried under the huge octopus body.

Suddenly, Shizuru appeared right in front of her with dangerously shining eyes. She looked as if she was possessed by a demon, and just like last time, Nao seemed to be the one losing the fight. "You're fast, Yuuki-san. Faster than last time. But still not fast enough." The crimson-eyes were full of despise. With a light chuckle, Shizuru slowly lifted the naginata to land the final strike.

Time seemed to move in slow motion as Nao sat on the ground waiting for this life to come to an end. Her face contorted in pain, she had her eyes closed. She didn't want to see the blade coming. And right here in the moment where her life was about to end again, she remembered something her mother had told her when she was little.

'The last thing you think about before you pass the border between life and death will be the creator of your afterlife.' The creator of afterlife... If this is the end, I should at least try and think of something positive. I've had enough hell in my life. Maybe now, it's time for heaven.

Her thoughts drifted off to the moment she met Natsuki in the Orphanage; an encounter that had changed her life completely. The image of the little grumpy looking girl brought a smile to her lips, and even though she knew that her life was over, she felt at home. The pained scream of the Kyoto-girl shook her out of thoughts. When her eyes shot open, she needed a few seconds to understand the situation. Shizuru was still in front of her but her position had changed. The naginata lay on the ground and the body of the crazed girl was slightly bent to the right. Nao could see blood dripping to the ground, and when she took a closer look she saw that the Kyoto girl held her right shoulder in pain.

"Nao, are you okay?" She clearly recognized the voice of Natsuki, yet she wasn't sure if this was real or if she was already dead. "Oi, say something."

"I... Yes, I'm okay," she stuttered.

"Thank god," the raven-haired girl said relieved before she turned around to check on Shizuru.

Nao still didn't know what happened. She searched for Duran and found him growling at Akane and Hari. It seemed as if Natsuki had the fight under control.

_Has she just saved my life? It can't be... She would never._

When Natsuki turned back to her, Nao almost forget about the pain in her leg. She felt pinned to the ground by those stunning emerald eyes in front of her than by the throbbing wound. Only the sharp pain that rushed through her body when Natsuki took one of her hands to examine the wound shook her out of her trance.

Natsuki took a closer look at the clean cut and inhaled sharply.

"We need to get you out of here," she said in her husky voice.

"Why are you doing this?" Nao said in a weak and teary voice. "Why are you trying to save me when you secretly love her? Why don't you just let me die here and end my suffering?" It was hard to hold back the tears, but she already felt weak enough.

"I can't, Nao..." Natsuki turned her gaze to the ground, avoiding the eye-contact. She hadn't thought anything. She didn't know what to do or what she wanted. She had acted on instinct. When she saw Nao on the ground waiting for Shizuru to end her life, the only solution seemed to be stopping the Kyoto-girl from killing her best friend. She was shocked herself that she actually had the guts to shoot at Shizuru.?

"Why... Why can't you..." The tears forced their way out of Nao's eyes while she almost choked on the last syllables.

"Because I do love you too. Still..." The words felt like stones in her mouth. There were followed by an endless seeming silence before Nao finally spoke again.

"But it will be her. It always has been." Her words were soaked with tears.

Natsuki didn't know what to respond. She didn't have an answer. It was all too much. The only thing she could think of right now was to get out of here, but before she could think of a decent plan, the dangerous hissing of Kiyohime returned.

"So, that's why you can't accept my feelings at all." The voice of Shizuru was unmistakably, and the way she said the words sent a shiver down Natsuki's spine. "Natsuki..." There was a long pause. When Natsuki turned around, Shizuru had brought herself to an upright position again. Dark blood was pouring down her arm. Natsuki could see the spot where the bullet had forced its way into the smooth flesh.

"Shizuru, please. Stop this madness." Natsuki's voice was pleading when she stood up, trying to shield the sight of Nao from Shizuru with her body.

"How many lives does it take for you to understand that you and I were made for each other?"

"Shizuru, please. We can still stop this. You just need to come to your senses."

"I know very well what I'm doing my sweet Natsuki. That pile of mud over there is keeping you away from me, but that ends today!"

"If you want to kill her that badly, you have to take me on first."

"Natsuki...," Nao mumbled when she heard the words of her friend. "No, please no. I'm not worth it, Natsuki. I mean it. We have to stop this god damn star from destroying the world. I have lost my battle against Fujino. You don't have to fight for my sake."

"I know. I know that I don't have to, but I want to."

"You two are so cute together. It brings tears to my eyes!" Shizuru's voice had changed into a demonic hissing. She jumped forward, picking up her naginata on the way, and lunged at Natsuki. It was too abruptly to dodge or block the attack, and Natsuki had not the slightest chance to get away at this rate. But before the blade hit her a familiar voice cut in.

"Enough!" The sound of the word surrounded them like thunder, and its echo rushed throughout the barrier over and over again. The Dark HiME and their Childs stopped fighting all at once and their bodies became limp as if they were puppets on a string.

"What are you doing to them, Nagi!" Mashiro yelled.

"I can't let the Ice-princess die so early," he answered with a smile. "We'll meet each other again. Prepare your weapons, Mashiro-sama. Next time, there'll be no second chance." With another snap of his fingers, Nagi and the six Dark HiME were gone along with their Childs, leaving behind six more or less damaged girls.

Natsuki stood in the rain as if the soul had been sucked out of her body. This time there really seemed to be no flicker of hope left in her.

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><p><strong>AN:** I originally wanted to update 'A fine line' tomorrow because I just updated 'Loving the Enemy' yesterday, but I felt the need to share this chapter sooner with you guys. I've decided on an ending, which all of you will see in a few chapters. I don't want to spoil how many chapters are ahead, but the number is set. There will be some surprises, so much I can tell. Still it's sad that it's over in a bit. Thank god I was hardworking and started writing two new stories with our lovely ladies. Although without lovetriangles this time^^One pure NatNao and one pure ShizNat. I made really sure of it since Nao isn't existing in the ShizNat piece and Shizuru doesn't have a role in the new NatNao. So, don't worry guys...you won't have to live without me ;-P (as if you would care - well I have 5 reviewers. maybe they care) LOL and on a side note, I am officially nuts now because I've created a household in Sims 3 with Shizuru, Natsuki, Nao, a dog named Duran, a cat named Julia and a snake name Kiyohime and yes they do make out. Well, not the animals but the girls ;-)


	25. Sacrifices

_"__**It sucks being the footnote in someone else's love story**__**."**_

**Disclaimer: Still don't own Mai HiME.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 25 – Sacrifices<strong>

After Nagi and his army had disappeared, Mashiro had ordered the girls to find shelter at her mansion on the campus grounds. They needed a place to rest, a place to realize what was happening, and they especially needed some time to recover. But as much as the childlike-director wanted to provide any of that, she couldn't afford to let them rest for too long. She needed to prepare them, to make them understand how crucial the next and probably last battle will be. She couldn't let Nagi win. It was her duty to save the world from existing only to his liking. She could see the desperation in the eyes of the girls, and some of them weren't even in the best condition to fight, but they had to. If anything, she would make them. The space between wrong and right was too tight to let anymore HiME drift to the dark side. She knew that all of them had desires, and she knew that giving them back the memories of their past lives was a powerful trump card which Nagi had played out very well. The tension between some of the HiME was much more powerful than Mashiro had thought. Until now, she hadn't considered the strength of willpower of their hearts, but after all, this world was created by a simple wish of a heart.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Mashiro was a bit startled when the voice of Midori ripped her out of her thoughts. She looked at the young teacher with sad but fierce eyes.

"Fight and win," was the only thing she said before her gaze fell back on the world behind the window of the conference hall. Now that Fumi was gone the emptiness of the huge room seemed to eat away any positive thought.

"So you really want to make these girls fight against their friends and classmates?" Midori's voice was enraged, but the girl in the wheelchair remained silent. "You want me to kill my students?" She walked over and grabbed the director by the shoulders. "Say something!"

"How are Mai-san and Nao-san are doing?" She said emotionless.

Midori was astounded that the director asked her something like that instead of answering the questions, but decided that it was more than nothing at all. "Mai is hurt pretty badly. I doubt she'll be able to fight anytime soon." Mashiro just nodded while she kept staring out the window. "And Nao has a deep cut. We stitched her up as good as we could, but I bet it hurts like hell." Mashiro closed her eyes and sighed as she leaned back."You know that she can't take on Fujino." Midori said insistently.

"I'd like to talk to all of you in a bit. I think you should know some things before you have to face the Dark Ones again."

"We won't!"

"Please, just hear me out." Mashiro cut the Midori off. "We all have to fight our own demons sooner or later." Her voice wasn't desperate or anything. It was in an odd way very intense.

"Fine." For the first time Midori saw something like desperation in the eyes of the girl. Now that she was sitting in front of her in the silver wheel-chair without her cheerful maid around, she was nothing more than a serious little girl that tried to save the world from breaking down. As much as Midori hated the thought of fighting the others, she had to admit that the director had a point. "I'll bring them here."

"Thank you, Sugiura-sensei."

"I'm not a teacher anymore," she said as she walked away, not bothering to turn around again.

The HiME sat down on the floor in the big conference hall. It must have already been past midnight, but nobody bothered with such trivial things like time anymore. After all it was one of the things that had lost all its meaning anyway when they got their memories back.

"Mai's still unconscious," Midori explained their number as the five HiME walked in. They sat down on the floor since there were no chairs in the room at all.

"I see," Mashiro replied while turning around her wheel-chair to face the girls. "I think I owe you an explanation." The silence was hanging heavy above their heads. Everyone seemed to be either still shocked about the recent events or wrapped up in their memories. She inhaled deeply before she started to talk in a calm voice. "You all got your memory of your past lives back. I wish I could have spared you all of these feelings, but Nagi is far more powerful in this world than I had thought. When Kuga-san had made the contract with him, he earned half of her power too."

"So, it's her fault that Yukino is one of them?" Haruka said, pointing her finger at Natsuki.

"How dare you insult Natsuki with such nonsense!" Nao spat back at the enraged girl.

"It isn't. Nobody's at fault." Mashiro commented, silencing them both. "We have to stop Nagi from getting any more powerful. Right now, he has Fujino-san as his strongest weapon. Her love for Kuga-san is a mighty force that will help him become even stronger. Right now, she's acting on her own. Kiyohime had sent her mind into chaos. It is not yet controlled by Nagi for her desire is still too strong to be controlled." When Shizuru's name was mentioned along with the blunt statement of the girl being madly in love with her, Natsuki clenched her teeth.

_It's all my fault. I was the one who created all of that. I was selfish enough to drag them all into that again and now I have to kill Shizuru... again... And for what? To save this sick world? _"No..." she didn't notice that she had whispered the word silently to herself. Nobody else seemed to have heard it. Only when Nao laid an arm around her shoulders, she realized that a tear had forced its way outside.

"Don't worry, Natsuki. We'll make it alright. It's not your fault." Nao looked at her as if nothing had happened between them, and she was amazed how strong her younger friend seemed to be after all the things she had done to her.

"We have to destroy his army, and we have to contain Shizuru's power long enough for taking on Nagi himself."

"How do we do this?"

"Each one of you is a sort of catalyst. If you fall, the star will increase its pace. If you win the star will lose power and so will Nagi as its operator. He has not yet earned the full power of the Obsidian Lord. He needs the other half for getting what he wants."

"And by other half you mean?" Midori asked with puzzled eyes.

"He needs Kuga-san." Mashiro's voice was full of certainty.

"No way!" Nao's eyes got wide in shock while Natsuki remained silent, staring at the ground as if she didn't listen at all.

"What now? First you want to make us kill our friends, and now we have to protect the one who's at fault?" Haruka's words were full of spite.

"She's right." The husky voice of Natsuki silenced them all. All eyes were upon her as she stood up with her hands clenched to fists. "I'll go and fight that bastard alone."

"I'm coming with you," Nao instantly responded. She tried to stand up next to Natsuki, but flinched as her wound pinned her down to ground.

"It's not that easy Kuga-san," Mashiro tossed in. "His power grew thanks to Fujino-san's passion."

"I will stop them both." No one dared to speak a word. "There has to be another way instead of killing everybody. If we kill Nagi, we can win this fight, right?"

"There is a chance. But I don't know for sure. I wouldn't place my luck on it." Mashiro said, making clear that she didn't support the idea at all.

"I will." Although Natsuki felt like breaking down, she knew she had to be strong. It was all she could do. She didn't have anything to lose anymore.

"Don't be so foolish to think that you can just go there and fight them with a brave heart. It's not something you can do alone."

"She doesn't have to. We'll fight with her." Midori's voice was serious.

"You can't make me fight for that idiot!" Haruka was still enraged.

"No, I can't. If you can bear the sight of Yukino being possessed by that evil brat it's fine with me." The sharp words of the young teacher sunk into the blonde and silenced her for a second.

"Fine. I'm in... But only for the sake of Yukino," she finally responded with a pout.

"Kuga-san..." The voice of the girl in the wheelchair became even more serious. "Shizuru is his strongest weapon. He knows that quite well. He knows your history too. He will use her against you. I doubt that you be able to accomplish everything you wish for." Mashiro flashed a short, but meaningful glance at Nao before she went on. "You can't save her and kill him.

"I know...," Natsuki whispered, trying to hold back the tears. Her body was shaking, but she didn't allow herself to cry in front of the others.

"So, the decision is made. We'll fight that sneaky little rat together without killing the possessed." Midori sounded like a true leader, and the rest of the group just nodded in silent agreement. "Mikoto." She turned towards the little girl. "Mai won't be able to fight. You have to be strong for both of you." Mikoto's eyes were fiery and sad at the same time. She nodded and the young teacher wondered if she had put too much weight on the shoulders of the little one.

"You should rest for a bit. The battle will be here soon enough..." Mashiro said, unable to hide the worry in her voice. One after another left the conference room. Natsuki had stormed out first, closely followed by Haruka, Midori and Mikoto. Only Nao remained. The short glance from before had glued her to the spot. She felt like she should be here right now.

"You should get some rest too, Yuuki-san. Sugiura-sensei told me that your wound had required stitches."

"Natsuki won't get out of this alive, will she?" Nao asked, already knowing the answer. When the director said nothing, she went on. "I mean, is there a chance to save her?" The eyes of Mashiro told her that the girl knew more than she had told the others. "Tell me," Nao insisted.

"Things like this are never without sacrifices. No one is to blame for giving in to their wishes, and when Natsuki made the contract she couldn't have known what would happen, and neither did the other girls when they lost the battle of willpower."

"There has to be a way..." Tears were silently running down Nao's cheeks.

"How much are you willing to sacrifice in order to save her, Yuuki-san?" Mashiro suddenly said with piercing eyes.

"Everything." She didn't need to think about an answer. She never was sure about anything before.

"I see." The girl in the wheelchair inhaled. "I don't know if it's coincidence or fate that Fujino-san of all the Dark Ones is your direct enemy. It better be fate because otherwise I might be putting your life on the line."

"Fine with me!" Nao's fierce gaze left no room for doubt.

"If you can get close enough to keep her eyes closed for a while, I might be able to bring her sanity back. Fujino-san is stronger than her Child, and as soon as she has the control over Kiyohime back there is a good chance that we can beat Nagi without having Natsuki sacrifice herself and to withstand Nagi's manipulating power. The stronger Childs are on our side. His only big weapon is Kiyohime. We have Hephaestus and Kagutsuchi. They are a mighty force compared to his army."

"But Mai's injured. She can't fight."

"I've told you... Nothing is ever without a sacrifice. My power isn't endless. I can bring Fujino-san back if you are able to keep her eyes closed for a while and I can shield you from his power." She paused and looked outside the window. "Or I can bring back Mai."

"Instead of shielding me..." The words slipped out of Nao's mouth without realizing the true meaning behind them.

"It's up to you to decide."

"But didn't you just tell me that Kagutsuchi is one of the most powerful Childs?" The moment she said the words the truth hit her. "You're basically telling me that Mai is much more needed in that battle than me."

"I'm sorry." Mashiro voice had become very low under the weight of the statement. "This carnival isn't like the last ones. It isn't about the affection for your dearest ones. I'm sure Julia would be far bigger then..." Nao gulped but said nothing and so Mashiro went on, "the world Nagi has created with the stolen power is merely a copy of the ones you remember. It isn't a new creation. It's a sloppy duplicate with certain... flaws."

"Okay. I'm in." _I will do whatever it takes to protect her. Even if it means to save that bitch._

"I will try to shield your mind as good as I can. But it might not work. He's very strong."

"It's okay. It's better that way anyway..." Nao paused. "I can see it in her eyes. She needs Shizuru... At this rate she won't make it without her."

"Are you really sure about that? It is very likely to happen that you will have to switch places with Fujino, which means that you will fight your friends or even kill them."

"Tell me something I don't know."

"Fine. Don't talk about this to anybody. Just let them rest. They need their sleep. We'll leave in about two hours. I have to make some preparations first. Things have become a bit complicated since Fumi switched sides." The voice of the childlike director seemed never to falter. It was always calm and steady, and although Nao knew that tonight might be the last in her life, it gave her hope.

"Hah! Tell me about complicated...," she said with a bitter smile before limping out of the conference room.

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><p><strong>AN:** Sims 3 update: My super plan that Shizuru and Nao battle for Natsuki's love in the new big house didn't work at all -.- the first thing that happened was Shizuru and Nao making out while Natsuki was busy playing with Duran all the time. Geez, she's such a loner. No wonder Shizuru and Nao slowly fall in love. I need to take some pictures to show you guys the madness^^Time flies by as I am writing the remaining chapters of this story.


	26. Do you remember?

_"**Life doesn't hurt until you have time to yourself to think about how things have changed, who you've lost along the way, and how much of it is your fault."**_

**Disclaimer: Mai HiME is property of Sunrise.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 26 – Do you remember?<strong>

When Natsuki entered the dimly lit room that Mashiro had offered Mai and Mikoto, she instantly got the feeling that she didn't belong here. Mikoto was sitting in front of the bed, generously holding the hand of her best friend. The red-head was as expected still unconscious. A small glare reached her coming from the little girl with jet-black hair. And although the anger soon died away in the shadows, it still left a mark on Natsuki. She wasn't surprised that Mikoto was probably mad at her. It was too obvious who was to blame for the entire mess. She just wanted to pay her injured friend a visit before she had to fight again. It felt awkward to know that they had been kind of best friends in their past lives, and in this world they barely knew each other. Somehow Natsuki regretted that she had missed out on the chance to get to know the red-head again. She was sure that with time they would have probably become friends, but time was something that didn't matter in this world anymore. All that she could do now was sitting by her old friend's side, hoping that she'll be okay again.

She kneeled down next to Mikoto without saying a word. For a couple of minutes she just kept staring at the sleeping face of Mai. The steady breathing was a constant reminder that it was not a dream, and that she doesn't need to wait for a wake-up call. A crooked smiled crossed her lips as she browsed her memories for the fun times with the busty girl. Natsuki knew that Mai was a person who had influenced her former life in a crucial way. She doubted that she would have made it this far without her precious friend. No matter what obstacle stood in her way, Mai always knew what her true desires were, and she never failed to encourage her to do the right thing. The image of the cheerful girl being in a coma because of her wrongs stung. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as she gently pressed the hand of the unconscious girl.

_I wish you would be here right now. I am sure you would find a way to save us all. I am so unlike you. How am I supposed to make things right after all I've done...?_

"Let's fight for Mai," Mikoto suddenly tossed in as if she was a mind reader.

"Huh?" Natsuki was so startled that she couldn't respond anything else.

"We have to beat Nagi. I know that's what Mai would do. She saved us in the last carnival. Now, we have the chance to repay her. So, let's win this last battle for Mai." Her voice was strong. It seemed to have lost all of its childishness during the last hours. The raven-haired girl was amazed that everyone seemed to have a reason to fight for something in this nightmare.

_Maybe not everything is lost after all._

"You're right. Thanks Mikoto," Natsuki said with an honest smile on her lips. Right now, it felt as if there really was something in this world worth fighting for. She turned around and left the room.

When Nao entered the room where she was supposed to sleep in, she found Natsuki standing by the window. She tried to limp over silently, but of course the other girl had already heard her.

"You should lie down. You're injured," she said without turning around. Her voice was weak. There was no point in hiding her emotions anymore. Everyone knew everything, and she couldn't care less what people thought about her. She knew she could allow herself to be weak in front of Nao. After all, the girl had seen her in worse condition. She knew she shouldn't have come here, but something drew her into the room of her friend. Maybe she just wasn't strong enough to face the last night of her life alone.

"Will you lie with me?" Nao asked barely audible while sitting down on the bed next to the door, quite knowing of the ambiguity of her words. Natsuki said nothing. She just quietly turned around and walked over to the bed that was standing on the other side of the room. As her gaze drifted to the bandage around the younger girl's leg, she stopped for a second. The image of Shizuru and Nao fighting each other came back into her mind's eye and made her heart crumble again. There were no words that could describe her inner struggle. She wanted to make things right, to atone for her sins, but she didn't know how without hurting somebody. She felt so weak, yet everyone around her seemed to grow strong under the pressure. It was as if she was some sort of virus; a malfunction.

_Why can't I simply be strong like everyone else? Everybody seems to know what to do. I don't even remember the feeling of being determined. I can barely remember the face of my mother. How is that possible when she was my reason for fighting in my previous life? It was such a simple concept. It was just Duran, the night and me. I had a purpose. Only when I was supposed to live a normal life I started struggling. I never was afraid to fight a physical battle. I was only afraid of emotions. They still scare me so much that I can't seem to get back to my inner strength. But that's why I have these powers right? I can do this..._

"Natsuki..." Hearing Nao calling her name shyly shook her out of her thoughts. "Just for tonight, stop blaming yourself for everything. Come here and lie down with me. It'll be alright. I promise." The intensity of the lime-green eyes that were staring warmly at her sent a shiver down her spine. Her heart started to pound wildly. She was a bit startled to feel it beating at all. She was sure it had stopped the moment she got her memories back, yet it seemed to be there quite powerful. Closing the last distance, she carefully slid under the sheets.

"How's that leg of yours doing?" she asked, not knowing what else to say.

"Thanks to the stitches it has stopped bleeding. I would be lying if I said it doesn't hurt, and I bet it'll leave a huge scar too..." Nao made a small pause to capture Natsuki's gaze that had been drifting off into nothingness once more. "But it'll heal with time." The raven-haired girl was taken aback by the words of her opposite. She felt so vulnerable and weak, she had no idea how Nao managed to deal with everything, but right now she didn't care. She was just relieved to have her here. The stunning green eyes of the pink-haired girl seemed to make her dizzy. All the emotions and memories were still there. So close and strong that it almost hurt. The pounding of her heart was increasing with every second that she kept staring into those eyes, and as if they were magnets she felt herself drawn to them. She couldn't think. In fact, she didn't want to. For once, she stopped listening to her mind, and just did what her heart asked her to. Reaching out with her right hand, she drew the lime-eyed girl in without hesitation. Nao didn't even try to stop her. Their lips crashed together as if they wanted to release all the tension and pain in one fierce kiss. There was not a single moment left to falter, and the raven-haired girl was relieved about it. She closed her eyes as if there was no tomorrow, and in fact... somehow there wasn't. None of them dared to break the kiss. Not even when tears started to roll down Natsuki's cheeks did she stop, and neither did Nao. Quite the opposite, the pink-haired girl wrapped her arms around her neck even tighter.

She didn't care about meanings anymore. All she wanted to feel right now were Natsuki's lips on hers. The salty taste only seemed to increase the desire for the other girl. A little moan escaped her throat when Natsuki shifted her weight to place her other hand on her rip-cage. The heat instantly rushed to her head and flushed her cheeks. Natsuki held in for a short moment, but was drawn in again before she could say or do anything other than kissing Nao. The silence of her surroundings only underlined how surreal the situation was. A few hours ago the world seemed to have come to an end, and they both had almost died, and now their bodies were entangled in a passionate rush of emotions. The way Natsuki touched the other girl's body was familiar. It didn't feel awkward or new. The breathing, the sounds, the longing; everything they shared right now was as if it didn't belong to this world of darkness and agony. They slowly stripped away their shirts as it became unbearably hot in the room with every passing minute. Natsuki's senses seemed to explode when Nao softly bit her neck from behind while the hands of the girl cupped her breasts. She threw her head back in pleasure, trying hard to repress a moan as she sank deeper into the embrace. When her lower back made contact with the thigh of the other girl, a whimper escaped Nao's mouth, which shook Natsuki out of her trance instantly. Her head shot around with panicking eyes. The pained expression on Nao's face left no room for doubt that her wound was aching. Natsuki lowered her gaze to examine the stitches and was shocked to see that it had started to bleed again.

"Shit... I'm so sorry." The regret clearly audible, she reached for her shirt to cover the wound.

"It's okay. It's not your fault." Nao tried to calm down the other girl, but Natsuki seemed to be so startled about the whole situation that she didn't say anything at all. The silence soon started to become real awkward. They were still sitting on the bed only wearing underwear while Natsuki pressed her shirt over the wound to stop the bleeding. Nao could see that the other girl's cheeks were flushed, and she had to admit that it was indeed a little bit embarrassing to sit here as if nothing had happened after they had just made out. It was hard to stop staring at the perfectly shaped upper body of the other girl, but Nao knew that the situation was odd enough. Of course, there was no logic behind their actions, but she knew Natsuki good enough to see that she felt completely guilty right now. She always needed a reason for everything. She always felt the need to justify herself. Things could be as simple as to just accept their overflow of emotions, yet she knew Natsuki already regretted it. And it pained her. She was more than happy that the other girl had allowed her to kiss her one more time before she had to leave. It was almost as if Natsuki knew that they had to part tonight. Of course she didn't, but in the moment Nao felt those soft lips upon hers it was as if her last wish had been granted. She wanted to thank her friend for being so considerate, but she couldn't afford to give any hints about her plan. Already missing the warmth of the raven-haired girl, she started to shiver lightly. Natsuki noticed it instantly and jumped up.

"I'm getting Midori." The girl turned around in a hurry, not able to look Nao in the eyes again.

"Natsuki," she said with the same warmth as minutes ago. "Stay."

"But your wound..." The words were a mere whisper while Natsuki clenched her fists, making her own body shiver under the pressure.

Seeing her friend struggling so hard, Nao slowly rose from the bed. She cupped Natsuki's face and lifted her head so that the girl had to make eye contact with her again. When Natsuki locked her gaze insecurely with Nao's she was blown away by the emotions that were visible in those lime-colored eyes. Nao took a step back, the whole time making sure not to falter under the pain because she didn't want to scare the other girl away again. She grabbed Natsuki by the hand and pulled her on top of herself as she lay back on the bed again.

The emerald-eyed girl felt like a puppet. Her body didn't react when her mind told her to stop. Again, she found herself on top of Nao. Their heads only inches apart. She could smell the sweet breath that had been filling her up moments ago. The words from Nao on the battlefield kept mercilessly pulling her into opposite directions, but her body was glued to the spot. _'It has always been her...' _The words of Nao rushed to her head again. She still didn't know if it was the truth. She felt just as torn as before, and lying shirtless on top of her supposedly best friend didn't help sort out her feelings either.

"Listen Natsuki, I know that you think you owe me something. Or let's say that you owe Fujino something, but it doesn't matter anymore. Tomorrow, we're gonna fight that damn little brat Nagi, and save the world. There will always be enough time for regret... but not tonight." She encircled the neck of Natsuki and pulled her gently down. "Not tonight," she whispered before her lips found Natsuki's again in the darkness.

They knew that what they had right now was a dream, and when Natsuki placed her head on Nao's chest in exhaustion the younger girl sighed.

"How do you do that?" The raven-haired girl asked out of the blue into the darkness.

"Do what?"

"Live through all the pain and memories as if nothing had happened..."

_Because I know that I will be free from the pain tonight, because I know that I can never win... _Nao tried to keep her breathing as calm as possible. She had to prevent Natsuki from getting suspicious at all cost. "In the end, I've wasted more than a lifetime on you. Don't think that it's easy for me, but if this world ends tomorrow, I will at least take anything I can get. You know how I feel about you, Natsuki."

"Nao, I..."

"Shh, don't say anything." She inhaled deeply before she went on. "It's okay. You don't need to justify your actions or feelings. Right now, it's just the two of us. So let's lie here a little longer before dawn breaks. Why not talk about some happy memories instead of drowning in pain? I mean we're filled up with images from different lives. Why not try out some nice ones?"

"You never cease to amaze me..." The sadness was still clearly audible as Natsuki whispered the words.

"Do you remember the fun days back in the Orphanage before all of that madness started?"

"Barely," Natsuki said in a low voice.

"You were such a serious little brat, but also very caring. I remember that one time when you were punching that idiot Kita right in the face because he made me cry."

"That's what friends are for..."

"Yeah, that's what 'friends' are for...," Nao repeated the sentence more to herself than to Natsuki.

"I'd still punch anyone in the face who dares to make you sad or hurt you...,"

"I know...," _How could I not know after you shot Fujino in order to save me...? _"Ne Natsuki, do you remember how we hated each other back in school during the first carnival. I've always thought that you were a spoiled brat that only acted cool, but I have to admit the icy biker attitude worked for me. Somehow you even were some kind of idol to me. Well outside of being a mutt of course." Natsuki could feel light chuckles coming from the body beneath her as Nao voiced her thoughts.

"Oi! Don't call me that. At least I wasn't licking my palm or filing my nails the whole time," Natsuki countered.

"Of course not, since you were busy peeling yourself out of that tight leather suit of yours." She teased the other girl in the hopes to brighten the atmosphere, and for a slight second it seemed to work. "But it suited you quite well. Can't deny it gave me some naughty dreams now and then."

"Shut up!"

"I bet you're blushing right now." Nao said with a smile on her lips.

"You wish..." The mumbling from the raven-haired girl was a sure sign that Nao's assumption was right. After a short moment of silence she started speaking again.

"Do you remember what I told you about the string theory?"

"Well, it's been a lifetime, but yeah, I guess I do." Natsuki's voice was low again.

"Maybe we're accidentally in the wrong world..."

"Yes, maybe we'll wake up tomorrow and everything will be alright." Natsuki smiled a bitter smile that was concealed by the darkness before she added, "that would be nice, wouldn't it?" Her voice became even lower as her body began to sink into a slumber. Nao encircled the exhausted girl tighter, but didn't say any of her thoughts out loud. _Tomorrow, everything will be alright... I'll make sure of it. I promise. _She snuggled her nose into the silky hair of Natsuki, whose breaths became deeper and deeper. Nao was just as tired, but she couldn't afford to fall asleep. She had to leave soon, and it wasn't the best idea to listen to the steady breathing of the emerald-eyed girl. She had to occupy her head, and so she started whispering into the darkness. Not loud enough to wake the sleeping beauty, but maybe enough to reach the subconscious of her. And somehow only the faint hope that it might reach the girl was enough to drown her fears. Nao told the sleeping form of Natsuki all the things that were speeding through her mind. Memories of their happier days, the time in the Orphanage, the moment where they stood in the spotlight of the stage together, the multiple times Natsuki had visited her in the hospital and the countless nights where they had fallen asleep in each other's arms. She was almost thankful to have more than one lifetime of memories with the raven-haired girl. Sure, there was pain. To be precise, there was actually a lot of it. But it was as if every happy minute with the raven-haired girl was atonement for all the suffering. She lightly touched her lips as if she could still feel the burning sensation of Natsuki's.

When she heard muffled noises from the hallway, she knew that the time had come. Carefully placing Natsuki's head on the pillow, she silently rose from the bed. The pain in her thigh was still present, but there was no time to lose. The door was opened, and a beam of light cut through the dimness of the room. She could see the silhouette of Mashiro. Nodding towards the director as a sign that she was ready, she turned around to the sleeping figure of Natsuki once more. The fragile and serene image of the raven-haired girl only encouraged Nao in her plan to face Shizuru on the battlefield again. She just had to make sure that Natsuki wouldn't sacrifice herself for the sake of this sick world. For she deserved so much better than to die for the needs of that little selfish brat Nagi.

"We got to go." Mashiro said low but determined. Aware of the fact that this could be the last time she might see the other girl, Nao bent over. She gently tugged one strand of black hair behind the ear of the sleeping girl before she placed a kiss on the rosy cheeks. _"__For the lifetimes shared together I'm really thankful. Goodbye, Natsuki."_After the whispered farewell had died away in the darkness Nao walked out of the room. And within a blink of an eye she found herself and Mashiro inside of an ancient looking shrine.

"Where are we?" she asked the childlike director a bit flustered.

"In their base."

"My my, and here I was thinking you would be waiting for me. How rude of you to invade my territory." Nagi's voice cut through the hall like a knife. "Shizuru-san, would you be as nice as to take care of your opponent once and for all."

"It'll be my pleasure." came the answer with a thick Kyoto-ben.


	27. Calamity

"_**There's always gonna be that one thing you wish for but never get, that one mistake you can never take back and most of all that one memory you would do anything for just to have it again."**_

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Mai HiME.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 27 - Calamity<strong>

"Yuuki-san, watch out!" Hearing Mashiro scream was something Nao had never experienced before. Hence, she was sure it was a clear sign that something dangerous was about to happen. All her senses went on alert, and so she was able to dodge the first attack of the huge naginata without problems. Thanks to the incredible abilities of the little lavender-haired girl, the cut in her thigh was completely gone. _Alright! There are no excuses now! I have to fight that crazed Kyoto woman and her eight-headed monster without harming her, although I would love to... we still have to settle some things..._

"Julia!" The spider instantly emerged from the ground and positioned itself in front of her right away.

"Alright, Shizuru-chan. I assume you'll take care of things here. There is still stuff to do for me here and there." Nagi said nonchalantly.

"Don't worry, master." Shizuru's sounded just as monotone now as the other HiME in their first battle. Something seemed to have changed. Nao tilted her head and stared at Mashiro with puzzled eyes.

"Something must have happened. Maybe she had come to her senses, and Nagi had to take over her Child too. It doesn't matter though. It'll not influence our plan," Mashiro said to the pink-haired girl as low as possible.

"Good," was the short answer before Nao had to dodge the sharp blade again. "Only that it has become a bit more difficult to distract her if I can't pull the Natsuki card. I doubt that she'll react in her puppet-like state," Nao muttered while blocking another swing of the blade.

"Who knows..." Mashiro said more to herself than to anyone else.

"You know Fujino, I've never really liked you. You really love to make people hate you, don't you?"

Shizuru said nothing. Her dull eyes were practically staring right through her, and Nao doubted that the girl had heard her at all. _Guess I need to take the more violent road then. _Quickly ordering Julia to shoot sticky spider webs at the purple monster, she attacked Shizuru in the same second. Her Child was not as large as Kiyohime, but it was way faster, and so was her weapon. The red strings tied the chestnut-haired girl up before she had the chance to cut them. The naginata hit the floor with a loud thud when Nao tried to keep the Kyoto girl in control.

Meanwhile outside the temple, Nagi was grinning evilly to himself.

"Where am I?" A sleepy and irritated voice stated.

"Where you belong my little princess." He said triumphantly.

"Nagi! You bastard! What did you do to Shizuru? Where is Nao?" Natsuki's eyes instantly snapped open when she recognized that it was not a dream. She remembered that she had been lying in bed with Nao seconds ago, and now she suddenly found herself in front of an ancient temple. The boy just kept grinning and pointed with his index finger towards the huge doors. "You better hurry," he commented, clearly knowing that Natsuki wouldn't waste any time for saving her precious friends, and he was right. Without giving the situation a second thought, she started running towards the entrance.

"Very well, Natsuki-chan. Finally, I have you where I want you." His dark voice didn't fit the looks of a little boy anymore, and the confidence of his upcoming victory let his face appear even more devious. "I better get inside there, too. I don't want to miss the final dance."

When Natsuki entered the temple she quickly scanned her surroundings. It was obvious that a huge battle between Shizuru and Nao was going on for she had to climb over tons of debris on her way inside. In the distance she saw Julia shooting sticky webs at the snake-octopus, keeping it occupied enough for not attacking the owner of the big spider. Natsuki's eyes frantically searched for the two girls. But the hall was huge, and she started to get nervous. After what seemed to be an eternity she found them behind the shrine. Nao had Shizuru entangled with her weapon. Natsuki wanted to scream out to the pink-haired girl when she saw her friend reaching out for the face of the chestnut-haired girl, but decided to conceal her presence a little longer after she had spotted Mashiro next to them. So she just stood there glued to the spot, observing how Nao put her hand over Shizuru's eyes.

_What on earth is she doing there? _Her thoughts were racing, but the moment froze over. The Childs stopped battling, and only the mumbling of the girl in the wheelchair floated through the temple. Suddenly a bone-shaking scream escaped Shizuru's mouth, and the body of the Kyoto-born started quivering. Natsuki's mind went blank. She couldn't stand still any longer, and started running towards them.

"Nao, please stop hurting her!" she screamed from the top of her lungs as she approached them from the right.

"Natsuki..." Nao's head swung around in shock, and she immediately lost focus.

"Don't get side-tracked, Yuuki-san." Mashiro tried to keep the pink-haired girl focused, but Kiyohime was already back on track. It freed itself from the spider webs and lunged forward for quickly encircling the green Child. "No, not now! I was almost done!" The voice of the director was full of anger.

"Too bad, my sweet Mashiro-chan, that you couldn't complete your little experiment. But there's no need to worry. I'll make sure to help you out on that. Thanks for bringing them here. That makes it so much easier." Nagi's voice was triumphantly. He vanished into thin air only to appear right behind Kiyohime. His whispers floated throughout the room just like Mashiro's had moments ago.

"You have to keep her view blocked. When she looks you in the eyes now, I can't shield you from his power. You'll have to switch places with her, and I can't stop you from descending into chaos!" Mashiro's voice was almost pleading now, and Nao could feel the power of the chestnut-haired girl growing under Nagi's whispers.

"I try to, but she's fucking strong," she explained as she was slowly pushed backwards.

"I'm sorry, Nao-chan, but I think that wound of yours hasn't completely healed by now, has it?" The snap of Nagi's fingers was followed by a sharp pain in Nao's thigh. She could feel her trousers getting wet again, and she was barely able to keep standing anymore. Shizuru had no problems breaking free, and just when she pulled the hand of the pink-haired girl away, ready to send her down into a massive chaos, Natsuki appeared out of nowhere. She made a huge jump and landed right between Nao and Shizuru. It was too late to keep the sight of the Kyoto-girl blocked. That much she knew, but it wasn't too late to keep her friend from descending into chaos. When Shizuru opened her eyes a flash of burning crimson shot right into Natsuki's emerald eyes. Shizuru sank down on her knees in pain, her chest was waving heavily.

Although Nao wanted to catch Natsuki as she was stumbling backwards, she was barely able to keep herself in an upright position with her injured leg. And so both girls tumbled backwards, before hitting the ground in a fairly painful way. When Nao opened her eyes again, she found her raven-haired friend on top herself. The image of rushing into Natsuki on the academy grounds after she hadn't seen the girl for years came back to her mind. Only that now their places where switched. For a slight second she had forgotten where they were and what just happened, but when the eyelids of her friend fluttered slowly back, her thoughts immediately got a hold of the current situation. Her lime-green eyes were frantically searching for the emerald orbs, but all they found was a dull gray. It looked as if something had sucked out the color of Natsuki's sparkling eyes. Panic crawled up Nao's throat as she started shaking her silent friend.

"Natsuki! Are you okay?" Her voice was pleading, but she didn't get an answer from her precious friend.

Shizuru could hear the words of Nao, but they seemed to come from far away. She needed some time to free her mind from the gray veil that had been clouding her vision and sanity for the last hours. She didn't really know where she was or what had happened, but she knew something was wrong. She could tell by the sound of the pink-haired girl's voice that something must have happened to Natsuki. When she had finally blinked away most of the dizziness she fully opened her eyes. A piercing headache instantly shot through her head, but at least her vision wasn't clouded anymore. She tried to ignore the pain as best as she could, and lifted her head to see what was going on. She found the two girls lying on the ground. Nao's jeans were stained with blood, while she was desperately shaking the other girl. _Oh no, Natsuki! What happened?_ She quickly got on her feet and rushed over to the girls.

"Nao, what happened?" she asked cautiously as she kneeled down beside them. Not really getting the situation at all, Nao didn't know what to respond.

"It worked?" she mumbled to herself as she stared into Shizuru's crimson eyes.

"What worked? What do you mean? What's wrong with Natsuki?" Shizuru had a thousand questions in her head, but right now all she cared about was the raven-haired girl.

"Do you feel like killing me?" Nao questioned back instead of answering.

"Not at all. Why would I?"

"Guess it worked. But if you're back to normal, and I am not a lunatic what... Oh god, please no..." The last words were a mere whisper, but she could feel her heart cringe in pain under the realization.

"Good morning, my sweet princess. I hope you slept well." Nagi's deep new voice seemed to come from everywhere again, although his figure was standing far away from them, right next to the huge mechanic wolf. "I'm glad that you've finally awoken. Now, if you would do me the favor of getting rid of these nasty nuisances over there." His words came with a dangerous grin.

"Of course, master." If Natsuki hadn't stood up in the second she spoke the words, Nao and Shizuru would have never believed that the voice came out of her mouth. It did still sound husky, but the sounds that left the mouth of the once emerald-eyed girl were completely off. They somehow were just as hollow as her gaze. The head of the girl was lowered as she stood up straight, and then the materializing sound of the two pistols cut through the silence. When she grabbed her weapons her head suddenly shot up. The empty eyes were staring at the two girls in front of her as the usual serious expression was distorted into a mad grin.

"Get away from her! Now!" Mai's screaming reached Nao's ears from afar. But she couldn't react. She didn't even question herself why of all the people Mai suddenly popped up, when she was supposed to lie down in bed to heal her injuries.

"This can't be..." Shizuru mumbled in horror while her gaze was fixated on Natsuki.

"What have I done...?" Mashiro also couldn't avert her gaze from the puppet-like figure. It was as if a spell lay on the three girls in front of the Ice-HiME. The director was scared to the bone when she saw Natsuki's expression. For the first time, she felt as if there really was no hope at all. Now that Nagi had the power of the one he had made the contract with, it was only a matter of time for the star to hit the earth. It all felt like a dream, and time seemed to move in slow motion when Natsuki suddenly raised her pistols. Pointing each one at the head of her former lovers. The echo of the shots filled up the room, and let Mashiro close her eyes in terror. After she had prepared herself to face the fate of Shizuru and Nao, she opened them again. But she couldn't see any blood. In fact she couldn't even see the two girls anymore. Her eyes were hectically scanning the room until she found the startled girls in the claw of Kagutsuchi.

"That was close! Are you two nuts? You could have been dead by now! Why didn't you defend yourselves?" Mai's words seemed just as unreal as Natsuki shooting at her and Shizuru, and Nao wasn't sure if all this was really happening or if she had been drugged.

"Didn't you notice? Natsuki... She's crazy!" Nao's voice cracked under the words.

"Of course I did notice! But that doesn't mean that you have to get yourself killed. I thought we wanted to clean up this mess," Mai shouted at her, trying to bring her friend back to sense.

"And how? Fighting her? No way!"

"Do you think it's a pleasure for me to fight against the other HiME? But we have to! It's our duty or this world is over anyway." Mai's voice sounded desperate but it never faltered. Nao knew that her friend was right, but she couldn't fight Natsuki. She just couldn't. Shizuru still stood there frozen. She couldn't move, she couldn't speak, she couldn't even think. Her eyes never left the figure of Natsuki who was slowly walking over to Duran.

"Haruka and Midori are already outside, fighting Akane and Fumi." Mai explained.

"How did you get here and why aren't you injured anymore," Nao finally asked.

"When I woke up, all my injuries were gone and since the director, you and Natsuki were missing we called up our Childs. Haruka and me flew over the city and saw that the old temple was covered by a barrier."

"So she did it..." Nao mumbled.

"Who?"

"Well, Mashiro did heal my injury too until that brat Nagi undid her magic."

"Your wound looks pretty bad. Do you think you can fight?" The red-head's voice had gone back to normal now.

"I guess she doesn't have a choice." Midori suddenly tossed in, as she was running towards them. Gakutenou was right behind her, followed by Haruka and her Griffin.

"Did you win the battle?" Mikoto, who had been silently standing next to Mai asked with puzzled eyes.

"No, we are lucky to be alive. All of the Dark Ones are outside. We couldn't do it alone." The teacher was fairly out of breath and already had some wounds on her arms and back.

A second later the Dark HiME rushed inside the temple. None of them were confused about Shizuru no longer being one of them. Quite the opposite, they seemed to have expected Natsuki to be their leader. They grouped around the raven-haired girl in a defensive manner.

"You better be ready to fight with all you got. I think there is nothing left we can do, right Mashiro?" Midori asked the child-director, already knowing the answer.

The girl in the wheel chair clenched her fists in resignation and shook her head.

"Thought so...," Midori whispered with a sad smile.

"I can't...," Shizuru suddenly voiced the thought that was repeating in her head over and over again, and Nao could understand her just perfect. She felt the same. She couldn't fight Natsuki. Even if she would have to die, she could not hurt her precious friend. But before she even had the chance to agree with the chestnut-haired girl, the huge frog Mecha lunged forward to attack their group. Mai, Mikoto, Midori and Haruka got ready to block the attack, but they didn't have to. Gennai was ripped into pieces by the sharp fangs of the mechanic wolf. All eyes were now on the remains of the huge frog. The moment froze over once again, and again it was the loud echo of a gunshot that shook all of them out of their daze. The body of the ninja-girl became limp a second before it fell down to the ground with a loud thud. The pistol in Natsuki's hand was still fuming, while her gaze was trailing off to nowhere. Another glimpse of crimson flicked over the form of Akira's body. It started to dance in front of the raven-haired girl before it seemed to rush right into her eyes. Suddenly a deafening sound was interrupting the scene. Duran was howling directly at the moon, and the louder it got the more the purple star kept on getting closer.

"What on earth?" Haruka mumbled in disbelief. "Did she just kill that Akira girl? I thought she was one of them?"

Mashiro was shocked to the bone about the things that were happening. Again Nagi seemed to have managed to trick her and had given her false information.

"Why is the star coming closer? He said that if one of us dies it'll be a catalyst." Midori's voice was low. Still, Nagi must have heard every word as he answered the question instantly.

"Well, maybe I lied. Good thing, Natsuki-chan doesn't make any compromises. Actually, it doesn't really matter who dies first. There will only be one HiME standing at the end of it all, and I'm pretty sure that will be Nat-chan. Ne, Natsuki?" He looked at the Ice-HiME with reassuring eyes and got an evil grin along with a nod from the girl. Akane, Fumi, Shiho and Yukino suddenly turned around like Zombies when Nagi swirled his index finger in the air. He silently started to count. And with every number, another body hit the cold floor. "One." Bang. "Two." Bang. "Three, four." Bang bang. Natsuki's eyelids didn't even flutter under the gunshots.

After the red flickers had floated inside of her, the silence was back once again. The Childs of the HiME had vanished into thin air after their owners had been killed. The raven-haired girl was now surrounded by a circle of dead bodies, but still she didn't show any emotions at all. Shizuru had closed her eyes in disbelief.

"Natsuki! Don't! Stop it! That's not you! You have to fight it!" Nao was screaming so loud that her throat hurt. Still she couldn't overtone the sounds of Duran as he howled again for bringing the star even closer. Nao's eyes were watery as she tried to lock her gaze with Natsuki's. But there wasn't any sign of life in the dull gray eyes of the raven-haired girl, only an insane grin, followed by the dangerous growling of Duran.

"She isn't herself! Don't you get it! Fight! Now!" Mai shouted at Nao before calling for Kagutsuchi to attack the remaining group of Dark Ones.

"Goodbye, dear friend." The monotone voice of Natsuki was followed by a massive wave of attacks. Mai had big troubles in dodging them, and in a slight moment of distraction Natsuki used the chance to place the final shot. Mikoto saw it coming and brought herself between her busty friend and the burning bullet. The force sent her flying backwards, directly into Mai's arms.

"NO!" Mai wanted to scream but the words died away under the howl of Duran. The star was coming closer and closer. The wolf was now sprinting over to the remaining group of HiME, while Natsuki slowly walked over towards Mai. When the red-head looked up she found herself staring into two dull gray eyes. There was no emotion, there was no love, there was nothing.

"Nao... Shizuru... you have to stop her. You have to..." Mai whispered while she squeezed the hand of Mikoto in desperation. She could feel the cold metal of Natsuki's element on her sleeves before her vision went black.

"I won't forgive you, Kuga!" Haruka shouted with a teary voice. She had rushed over to the limp body of Yukino as soon as Natsuki was occupied with fighting Mai and Mikoto. Her Child was shooting down on Natsuki like a hammer, and the earth was shaking for a second when it hit the ground. After the dust had settled, Natsuki still stood there unharmed with her wicked smile. She had blocked the attack of the griffin with only one hand.

"My my, you're already pretty strong Natsuki-chan," Nagi, who watched the battle from afar, said in delight.

The blonde HiME didn't have the chance to dodge the bullet as it pierced her chest.

"Shizuru, Nao, you have to fight." Mashiro ordered the spaced-out girls. But both of them only looked at her with teary eyes.

"You have to snap out of it already! There are not many HiME left, and if Nagi wins this world is over! Don't you get it?" Midori screamed at them, trying to block another attack of the now titanic wolf. She could feel that she wouldn't be able to fight back any longer. She once more looked at the lost girls with a pleading voice. "Only the two of you can stop her now...," she said before Gakutenou sparkled into pieces.

_I have to get them out of here. They are in no condition to fight... At this rate we will lose. The world will lose... _Mashiro knew that she had to think of something, but everything had happened so fast that there was no time to calculate any solutions. She could see that Nao and Shizuru weren't ready to fight the raven-haired girl. She had to bring them back to reality. She tried once more to use her power for teleporting them back to the mansion, but she had already used too much of her magic, and so the spell wasn't strong enough. She found herself in the middle of a forest, probably just outside of the temple. Still, it was her only chance to have the two girls come to their senses. She needed them to fight the Ice-HiME and Nagi with everything they have. _Maybe Sugiura-sensei is right. Maybe only they can stop Kuga-san._

Inside the temple Nagi was a little pissed about Mashiro and the two remaining HiME escaping. "You have more power than expected in my world, Mashiro-chan. I don't like it. But I can feel that you didn't make it very far." He gave Natsuki a silent order, and the girl started to walk outside of the temple, followed by her wolf. "We'll settle this tonight!" The boy's words were accompanied by mad laughter that echoed through the hall.

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><p><strong>AN:** Three more to go...I know that things are really dark and grim, but the story is labeled drama and suspense. I put the cuteness in the early chapters.


	28. Irrevocably

"_**I want to be the one - I want to be the person that touches your heart and makes it skip a beat - I want to be that person whose arms make you just melt - I want to be the person that your destined to be with."**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mai HiME.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 28 – Irrevocably<strong>

The radiant light of the HiME-star illuminated the night sky, masking the world with a deep purple veil. Nao was sitting cross-legged on the forest ground while her gaze was drifting into the darkness. She looked as if the life had been sucked out of her body. The little girl in the wheel chair watched her for a few moments, hoping that the Spider-HiME would find her strength again, but nothing happened. Nao kept sitting motionless on the cold ground. Shizuru, who was standing a few steps away from her leaning against a tree, didn't look any better.

"It's all my fault...," Nao suddenly said to no one in particular.

"It isn't. You did what you thought was right... and I helped you with that futile plan. I believed we could beat him. I was foolish to think that we could trick Nagi so easily. After all, it's his world. I should have trained you better."

"But I couldn't keep her eyes closed... If Natsuki just wouldn't have interfered, it would at least have been me..." Nao's voice became low and broken. She wanted to just lie down and die right in the spot.

"And you would be okay with that?" The Kyoto-girl suddenly tossed in. Her voice was angry. She seemed to have completely lost her warm and melodic sound under the present circumstances. Nao slowly turned her head around to the older girl. Her eyes were swollen from the tears and her wound was still bleeding.

"I don't think I would have cared at all. Haven't you seen her eyes? She's gone!" Her frustration was targeting the chestnut-haired girl, and although she knew that yelling wouldn't help at all, she couldn't stop herself.

"That's not true. And if you would really believe that you wouldn't hesitate to fight her. You still have hope, and so do I," Shizuru shot back harshly.

"Kuga-san might still be there inside that vessel, but there's no proof." Mashiro's words were supposed to stop the girls from fighting over a thing that seemed to be lost anyway, but as expected it didn't work. Neither of them wanted to believe that Natsuki might be gone forever.

"I don't need proof. I'd still do anything to save her," Shizuru said with such certainty that Mashiro wished the girl was right. When Nao heard the words of the Kyoto-girl a new sparkle of hatred ignited in her heart. It was bad enough that Natsuki had become one of them, and she already knew that she might have chosen Shizuru anyway, but still hearing such things from the older woman made her more than angry. She brought herself up, ignoring the sharp pain that was shooting through her lower body and faced the chestnut-haired girl with hate-filled eyes.

"You shouldn't have freaked out to begin with. If you would have had the guts to win the battle of willpower against your stupid Child we wouldn't even have this problem." She knew that she was being unfair, but she couldn't help her thoughts about the whole situation. _If you weren't here, everything would have been just fine! _

"And if you would have taken better care of Natsuki in your last life this world wouldn't even exist!" The words were like a slap in the face to Nao. She hadn't really expected the other girl to talk back after her last insult, but it seems as if Shizuru had gotten her memory back by now. Still, that didn't make it any better between them. After a battle of death-glares where nobody wanted to give in first, Nao finally spoke what she had thought for so long. Even if the words probably stung herself much more than the other girl. But dignity and pride was something she had lost a while ago. Nothing mattered anymore anyway now that Natsuki was gone.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't able to catch her after her true love was selfish enough to commit suicide after one moment of insecurity." She had expected a slap or at least another insult, but Shizuru said nothing. She just stared at her with a blank expression. The chestnut-haired girl didn't bother to conceal any of her feelings or emotions any longer. She didn't care what Nao thought about her. All that mattered to her right now was Natsuki, and she knew that fighting with the pink-haired girl would not help anybody. The silence seemed too dangerous to be broken right away, and so Mashiro decided to wait a little longer for giving the girls some more time to settle their dispute. She knew quite well about the feelings of them, and she had always thought of it as something dangerous. There was no space for love in a world like this. She was amazed that Nagi didn't wipe it out completely. _Maybe he doesn't control everything after all... This world is halfway Kuga-san's creation so perhaps not everything is lost... _ Before the silence could eat away any more of the sanity of the already damaged girls Mashiro finally broke it. "Blaming each other won't help anybody," she said with determination.

"Oh great! A new plan?" Nao asked sarcastically.

"There is no plan. You have to fight her with everything you got, and I am afraid to say this but you might have to face the truth that you have to kill her." Her voice was calm and emotionless as ever, although it pained her to confront the girls with the cruel reality.

"No way!" Nao yelled back in anger. She flinched under the pain as she tried to take a step towards the director.

"She's right...," Shizuru said calmly after she had jumped over to support the injured girl in standing.

"What? Are going nuts again?" Nao's puzzled eyes searched Shizuru's crimson for a sign of sanity-loss, but she didn't find any. After she had found her composure, she freed herself from the other girl's support, and tried to stand up straight again. She really wished she could have just cut off that nasty leg, but her condition was already bad enough.

"Do you really think she wants to be saved at all?" Shizuru asked her out of the blue, still looking directly into the questioning green eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You have no idea how it feels to live with the guilt of having killed so many innocent people, and to top things off, she was the one who wished for this horrible world to begin with." Shizuru's words were calm but intense. The emotions in her eyes showed that she still suffered from the sins she had committed throughout this life and the last. Nao had never thought about it, but seeing the turmoil in those crimson orbs, she suddenly felt at a loss for words.

"But..."

"What if we save her? Are you explaining to her that she has killed all the other HiME? How do you think she'll deal with that?" Shizuru made a pause and inhaled deeply. "Trust me, I've been there. I know the feeling, and I screwed up again. If it wouldn't have been Natsuki who had killed the others it would have been me."

"Or me...," Nao mumbled, still not knowing what to say. She hadn't thought of the consequences. All she had thought about was how to save Natsuki, but after the words of the Kyoto-girl had sunk in she wasn't so sure if saving the raven-haired girl would be a reasonable solution. Still, the fear of losing her completely was something she also couldn't deal with.

"Could you live with that?" Shizuru asked her in a low voice.

"I don't know... I don't know anything at all. Only that I can't live in a world without her. I can't fight her. I can't kill her... I love her so much..." Tears broke free as she whispered the last sentence, and as much as it pained Shizuru to hear those words coming from the mouth of the pink-haired girl, she knew that Nao spoke the truth.

_It's true, Nao. I hate you for falling in love with Natsuki, but how could I of all the people not understand that... Our love for her has already claimed so many lives. We have to end it here. Not even love is worth so much pain._

"I know...," Shizuru said in defeat. "And she loves you too."

"Pff, as far as I can tell she's in love with you." Nao's words seemed nonchalant, but Shizuru knew that they ripped the girl's heart apart.

"It doesn't matter anymore, does it?"

"I guess not..." Nao paused before she let her eyes wander off into the darkness again. "Why don't we let this world get destroyed?"

"Because we have these powers for a reason. There's always a reason to fight for good." The words sounded so wrong coming from Shizuru, but that was what she felt right now. Her heart and mind had always been obsessed with nothing other than Natsuki. Only now she had realized that love is more than just holding on. It is letting go.

"I'm beginning to think that you are even scarier without Kiyohime in your head," Nao remarked and was instantly countered with a hiss from Kiyohime. "Alright, alright. No harm done. It's just odd to here you talking about saving the world and its people when I thought of you as the most selfish person on earth."

"Ara, maybe I've learned at least one thing after dying twice." They both smiled, although it was bitter. They knew they had to face their inner demons once more. Neither of them was happy to join forces with the supposed enemy, but they couldn't let Natsuki destroy the world, and they also couldn't let her be destroyed by guilt.

"Nao, let's do our best," Shizuru said with a determined look on her face. Nao only nodded, still not sure if she could bring up the strength to fight the girl that meant everything to her.

"They're coming," Mashiro said as emotionless as possible. She had watched the conversation silently as she could feel the strength of the girls coming back.

"So, what are we going to do?" Nao asked, still unsure about the oncoming battle. The Kyoto-girl looked at her with a serious expression when she started to explain her plan. Mashiro could see how something inside of the Spider-HiME broke as she listened to the words. She was afraid that Nao wasn't ready for it, but Shizuru was right with her plan. This might be their only chance. If one of them were to fail or to give in to their feelings everything would be over.

The hammering footsteps of the mechanic wolf could be heard in the distance. The purple colored canopies started to sway under a strong wind that seemed to announce the oncoming storm.

Shizuru turned around to Nao once more before she materialized her naginata. "I'm ready to let go. Are you?"

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><p><strong>AN:** Wow, only two more chapters...So, in the week before Christmas it'll be over. What a nice present


	29. Last One Standing

"_**I know it hurts. I know that. But if you give up now, you may be missing something greater than you could ever have imagined. & no one wants to miss something that will change their life forever. Just keep holding on, and I promise it`ll get better."**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mai HiME.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 29 – Last one standing<strong>

The sound of the large footsteps had stopped as two dangerously flickering red eyes became visible in the surreal obscurity of the silent forest. Nao could see that Shizuru got tense and couldn't repress a gulp. She felt like she couldn't move at all. When Shizuru shortly turned around to check on her Child Kiyohime, she was glad to at least have proof that time didn't stand still. It somehow encouraged her to summon Julia. When the Spider appeared beneath her, it made sure to slowly rise from the ground for not putting its owner through any unnecessary pain as it lifted her up in the air. The deep and vicious growling of Duran left no room for doubt that the wolf might attack the two remaining HiME in the next seconds.

Shizuru frantically searched for a figure in the shadows, but the surreal mixture of the purple light that was radiated by the star mixed with the darkness of the forest made it difficult to see anything at all. Only the menacing eyes of Duran stood out like shiny diamonds between the endless rows of trees. And suddenly everything went very fast. Duran shot out from its cover as fast as a torpedo. If Kiyohime wouldn't have blocked the first attack against Shizuru the battle would have already been over. The chestnut-haired girl wanted to thank her Child, but she knew better than to get distracted so easily. And she was right. Almost in the same second she could hear the familiar sound of a gunshot. The burning bullet came from the right, flying mercilessly into her direction. She quickly raised her naginata in front of her eyes. The metallic sound of the bullet hitting her weapon echoed through the night. The slender figure of Natsuki was slowly coming out of the shadows. The expression on her face was still empty. It was hard for Shizuru not to get swept away by the emotions that were battling on the inside, but she knew that she couldn't afford to get side-tracked. She had to think as clearly as possible. Her vision had been clouded long enough.

For a second, Nao thought that her heart had stopped beating as she saw the lifeless face of Natsuki emerging from the shadows. Nothing seemed to be left of her childhood friend. It was as if somebody had opened the box of Pandora. She had hoped it would be easier to fight Natsuki if she didn't appear to be herself anymore, but somehow it wasn't. In the corner of her eye she saw that Kiyohime made itself ready to lunge for the crazed girl, and knew that she had to hold Duran back as long as possible. She could feel a cold tear rolling down her cheek when she tore her gaze away from the raven-haired girl. "Julia...," she whispered with her eyes closed. The spider instantly jumped behind the big wolf firing threads on the ground. When Duran attempted to move he fell down, unable to escape the sticky mass.

With a loud hiss Kiyohime attempted to encircle the raven-haired girl, but Natsuki had become much too strong to be defeated so easily. She dodged the attack of the Hydra and managed to knock one of the heads out with her pistols in one quick movement. When Shizuru saw the speed and power of Natsuki, she got terrified. _How should I get close enough? _She searched her surroundings for something helpful, but all she found was the evil white haired boy sitting on a branch a few meters away. _That's it!_ _She'll do anything to protect that little monster!_ "Kiyohime..." The hydra instantly changed its attack course and rushed towards the now very surprised boy. For a short moment the raven-haired girl was irritated about the movements of her opponent, and that was exactly the moment Shizuru was looking for. When Natsuki started to chase after the snake, Shizuru for the first time used the full power of her weapon. The red naginata swung open, releasing the chain-like extension almost soundlessly. She lunged out and aimed for the body of the running girl. Luckily, Natsuki was distracted enough by the sudden blow against her master that she didn't notice the sharp coils reaching for her. Before the crazed girl understood what was happening she was trapped in the fangs of Shizuru's weapon. The chestnut-haired girl didn't waste any time, and quickly pulled the naginata back with all her force. The moment of surprise was on her side and so Natsuki was sent flying backwards. Shizuru swirled around diving under the chain of her weapon, catching the stumbling girl before she could fall in one graceful movement. She raised her right hand and entangled them both tightly with the coils of her element before she rammed the hilt deep into the forest ground. She was now directly facing the younger girl, who was unable to move anymore. Feeling the sharp edges of the coils in her flesh, she didn't have time to get lost in the moment. It was now or never.

"Nao! Now!" Shizuru's voice was weak, but the pink-haired girl had heard her quite well. She already had her gaze fixed upon the two HiME who were bound together by the naginata. She could see that Natsuki was unable to move and knew what she had to do. Shizuru had made herself quite clear before the battle had started. But it seemed so impossible now that it had become real.

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><p>"I know it sounds crazy, but you have to hear me out." Shizuru's voice was shaking as she tried to explain her plan to the already upset girl. "I think if we're able to distract Natsuki for a slight moment, we might be able to win this fight."<p>

"Distract? How?" Nao wasn't sure where the chestnut-haired girl was going, but she could feel that Duran and Natsuki were coming closer with every second.

"I am certain that she's not completely gone by now. She has such a strong personality and somewhere inside this vessel there is still life. I know you feel that too. If I can get close enough I might be able to bring her back for a moment. Kiyohime should be strong enough to help me with that. But I need you and Julia to keep Duran occupied. You have to distract him. He's become very strong, but Julia is fast." The moment she explained her plan, the Kyoto-beauty wasn't so sure if it would actually work. It sounded so easy but in reality it might be impossible.

"Well Julia might be fast, but I'm not. Look at my stupid leg." Pointing at her blood-stained thigh, Nao made clear that she wasn't very fond of the idea so far.

"You will have to have Julia carry you around during the battle, which will make it more risky I know. But we don't have many options here."

"How exactly are you going to distract Natsuki?" Suspicion could be heard in the low voice of Nao, but Shizuru didn't want to explain every detail since she hadn't thought of a sure way yet.

"Trust me. I have my ways," she said, not answering the question directly.

"What if it doesn't work?" Nao snorted already being familiar with some of the Kyoto-girls ways.

"It will..." Shizuru's gaze drifted off into the sky. The HiME star had stopped moving.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I see no other way..." She made a slight pause to take a deep breath. "So, when I have her distracted Duran will be distracted too, which gives you the opportunity to..." She stared directly into Nao's eyes. "…end it."

"You mean..." The lime-eyes became wide in terror.

"You have to kill her, Nao. If she comes back to her senses for a second, she'll be devastated. It might be the only chance to stop her." The bluntness of Shizuru's words let the anger rise up again in the pink-haired girl.

"Why don't you kill her?" she shouted in the face of the crimson-eyed girl.

"Because I'll be going with her..."

"You mean..."

"Yes, you heard me right. As soon as I have captured her you need to order Julia to end this madness. I have made so many mistakes during my last life. I have sinned. And still, Natsuki was there sacrificing herself to free me. This is the chance to repay her. This is all I can do. But I'm afraid I won't able to if I lose myself in her eyes. I know you can do it. I know you're stronger than me." She made a pause and materialized her weapon. "I'm ready to let go. Are you?"

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><p>A falling tree that had been chopped off in the battle between Duran and Julia tore Nao out of her thoughts. The words of Shizuru were still ringing in her ears. She knew the moment was close. When Duran finally stopped its attacks, her heart started to crumble. She let her gaze wander towards the spot where Shizuru had Natsuki wrapped up tightly. The chestnut-haired girl turned around to check if Nao was ready to end this battle and to free the world, but she could see that Julia still had troubles in keeping Duran under control. She shortly locked her eyes with the pink-haired girl and gave her quick nod.<p>

Turning back to Natsuki, she once more tried to find the lost girl in the dull gray eyes.

"I know you're still there. Please, come back to me. Let me look into those stunning green eyes of yours one more time before everything ends. You brought me back from my madness, so let me free you from yours. Forever, Natsuki..." Shizuru brought her hand up to softly cup Natsuki's cheek, and without any resistance she pulled the girl in. Their lips met as quietly as a falling feather, but the impact was much bigger than expected. Duran instantly collapsed and fell down to the ground completely. Shizuru didn't notice any of her surroundings as she softly parted the lips of the raven-haired girl with her tongue. A warm feeling shot from her mouth throughout her whole body, and she could literally feel how Natsuki was finding her way back into her body. She was almost choking when she finally broke the kiss, and although she was afraid to open her eyes she couldn't keep them closed. Everything seemed so far away right now, and she couldn't tell if she was already dead or not. Only the deep green eyes in front of her kept her believing that she wasn't dreaming.

"Wh... what happened? Shizuru..." Natsuki's gaze was still a bit clouded and she had no idea where she was.

"Shh... It's alright now." Shizuru embraced the girl tightly, once more glancing over to Nao, who had watched the moment quietly. She could see that the girl was shaking, and was afraid that she might give in. But when Nao turned away from them with a pained expression, Shizuru knew that everything would be alright. "Natsuki, I love you." The words were low, and although Natsuki didn't know anything at all right now, they felt right to her. She wanted to lift her head to smile at the crimson-eyed girl in reassurance when a sharp pain cut through her stomach. She heard the distant echo of a very familiar voice. Her eyes caught sight of Nao, who was sitting on top of her Child Julia. Her vision became blurry, and so she wasn't sure if the pink-haired girl was really crying. As she followed the figure of the mechanic spider, she could see that its scorpion tail was disappearing behind Shizuru's back. She wanted to turn to see what was going on, but her body wouldn't move. Her head became heavy, and when she let her gaze wander to the ground, she saw a pile of blood beneath her feet. With her last remaining strength she lifted her head up once more, and found herself lost in another shade of crimson again. For the first time she realized that the scorpion tail hadn't disappeared behind them. Shizuru tried to smile at her, but the pain was clearly visible in her expression. Blood was dripping from the mouth of the Kyoto-beauty, and Natsuki tried to summon all her strength to lift her head a bit further.

"Shizuru, I..." She could feel her body giving in to the sharp tail that was going through her and Shizuru. Her mind wasn't ready to let go, but she couldn't voice anymore sounds. The sounds started to disappear and her vision slowly went black.

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><p><strong>AN:** Well, I got to finish this story before the reviews go down to zero. And since there were only three for the last chapter I better hurry. Next Saturday the last chapter will be up.


	30. Epilogue

"_**If you want a happy ending, that depends, of course, on where you stop your story." **_

**Disclaimer: For the 73 time of that Trilogy. I don't own Mai HiME.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 30 – Epilogue<strong>

The sound of dripping blood hitting the earth was the only thing Nao heard in the silence of the night. When Julia pulled back her tail, the bodies of Natsuki and Shizuru slowly slid to the ground. She couldn't bring herself to look at them. She knew they were gone. She could feel it. The HiME star moved a little closer again. Directly hovering above the trees now. She peeked through her hands and the veil of tears, and saw how Duran slowly vanished from this world. Not knowing what to do now, she wanted to order Julia to put an end to her life as well, but the spider didn't seem to obey. Losing her balance in anger, she fell onto the forest ground and yelled at the mechanic beast with a teary voice. "I order you to kill me!"

"My my, why so angry little princess."

"Nagi!" Not able to understand why that little brat was still alive, she swung around with pure hatred in her gaze.

"Congratulation. Seems like you're the last one standing, which makes you the successor of this carnival."

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, it wasn't supposed to be that way." He made a short pause to take a look at the star. "My HiME should have won the battle, giving me the opportunity to recreate the world, but now... Unfortunately, I'm not granted with that power. But you are." His index finger tipped lightly against his chin as if he was in deep thoughts.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"You, as the last remaining HiME earn the power to recreate a world to your liking."

"You... you mean I can make all of this undone?" Mad laughter tried to fight its way outside of her mouth, but she would not yet give in to her emotions.

"Sure, but nothing is ever without sacrifices right?" The sly grin was something she knew too well by now. "What are you going to do with your power?"

"Well, it took me more than a lifetime to find out that there's a fine line between what you want and what you get. To me, Natsuki was like a flower on a high peak. Reality is cruel, and at some point I need to stop pretending. Now that I stand here in the aftermaths of it all, I finally know what to do."

"So, you are going to create a world for Natsuki and you?"

Nao smiled a sad but warm smile. "What? Are you an idiot or what? I'm gonna create a world without me in it... I'm sure that idiot Fujino can take good care of that mutt."

Nao closed her eyes as she could feel the power well up in her. She was indeed ready to let go of this world, when suddenly an immense pain shot from her back through her chest. She opened her eyes and saw a blade sticking out of her chest. "What... " She looked at Nagi, who seemed to be just as surprised before she fell motionless to the ground.

"I'm sorry, Yuuki-san. But this world shouldn't have existed in the first place..." Mashiro's voice was calm and low as she wiped the blood from the dagger in her hands.

"I'm amazed. You're still surprising me after all those decades, Mashiro... Queen of Hell," Nagi said with a grin on his face.

"The girls have won their battle a lifetime ago. It's not fair to punish them for having dreams and wishes. You've made them go through so much unnecessary pain. They already have chosen their paths in life. You shouldn't ever tamper with destiny. This world is over. Let's go home. And this time you won't slip away so easily."

"We'll see." He said before a huge flame ate away both of them.

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><p>"Doctor, tell me! Are you serious?"<p>

"Yes, I couldn't believe it myself, but she's wide awake and asking for you."

"I'll be there right away!"

The doors of the mental institution swung open with loud bangs as the girl made her way through the hallway.

"That was quick, Yuuki-san. Did you fly here?"

"No, but don't ask how fast I was driving. Where is she?"

"In her room."

"And she's really awake?"

"Yes, I don't know what happened, but she seems completely changed. Medicine and science sometimes can't explain everything. Especially the area of catatonia is a blind spot. Sometimes people fall in a catatonic state and never come back, and sometimes they come back as if nothing had happened," the doctor explained with a static voice, but Nao wasn't in the mood for chit-chat. She had to go, and so she just nodded with a light smile before nervously leaving the doctor's office. She stopped herself from running towards the room where she had spent every day for the last year. The doctors had told her many times that there is no need to visit a catatonic patient every day because they aren't even sure if the patients are still here in this world with their thoughts, but somehow she couldn't fight the hope that Natsuki might come back to her one day. And today seemed to be the day where all the suffering was finally paying off. Her footsteps were slowing down as she came closer to the door. Her heart was pounding heavily. She couldn't remember the last time she had actually talked to the raven-haired girl. It must have been before Natsuki was put in this institution and that was quite a while ago. Not sure if she should really go inside, she peeked through the little window first. Her eyes were used to staring into the direction of the bed, but for the first time she didn't find Natsuki cuffed to the bed. The bed was empty but it didn't take the lime-green eyes long to find the black hair in the sterile white room. Natsuki was standing in front of the window, probably looking outside.

When Nao laid her hand on the doorknob she was afraid that her heart might jump out of her chest every minute. She was relieved that Natsuki didn't turn around when she entered the room. She was much more comfortable with looking at the back of the girl for now. After a minute had ticked away, she slowly brought herself closer, stopping right behind the raven-haired girl. She could smell the scent of shampoo and couldn't help but inhale deeply.

"I had the strangest dream ever...," Natsuki suddenly said still facing away from Nao.

"But you know that..." She paused afraid of losing Natsuki again. "That _she_ is no longer here..."

"I know... but I can't bring her back and I also shouldn't. I have to accept that. One should never tamper with destiny they say." Finally turning around to face her visitor, Nao almost cried when she saw that it was real. The doctor hadn't lied. Natsuki was here with her. Although the words somehow touched Nao deep inside, she didn't know what to think of them. The longer she was staring into Natsuki's emerald eyes the more she wanted to embrace and kiss her lost love.

"I'm glad you finally came back to me," she whispered as tears overflowed her eyes.

"They told me you've come to visit me every single day. You didn't have to do that you know...," Natsuki said silently with a light smile on her lips.

"Nothing in the world is ever without sacrifices." Not knowing why she just said that, Nao couldn't help but think that she had heard that sentence somewhere before. And Natsuki seemed to feel it too.

"That sounds strangely familiar...," was the response from her opposite, instantly after she had voiced the strange thought.

"Yeah, I think so to. I have no idea where it came from though," Nao said honestly. Both fell silent after locking their gazes once more. They looked at each other for a few moments before Natsuki finally grabbed Nao's hand with a smile.

"The first day of a new life with old scars starts now. Let's go home."

**The End.**

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><p><strong>AN: **What to say at the end of such a long trilogy? It was a pleasure to write this story and I am happy to have at least some people who stayed with me until the very end. This time it's over for real. No more sequels. The story of those three has been told and I am happy and proud to have finished. No matter if all of you liked the ending or not, I am satisfied with it. Thank you all for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. It has been a wonderful journey. Thanks to my beta HollowPoint once again. I am happy and sad at the same time. I take a bow. Yours, damn unique =)


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